Eternal
by draconicBastard
Summary: After Blessed, the third and final of the series. All the stops come out now, everyone's true nature shows. Nikki plots her revenge. Dib and Zim go on an adventure they never thought they would. Warning: May contain Ninja-Pirates, the sweetness is lethal
1. Innocence

Eternal  
Chapter one: Innocence

Bombs exploding. Timers being set. Blood of all colors…running down his hands. 'You are now awake…no longer are you ignorant to the horrors of your race…'

A long stretch of lonely fields, the many corpses of the enemy being piled up. He watched over it all carelessly. It was their own fault…they'd been so naïve as to oppose the Empire. 'You, yourself, now oppose the Empire.'

A child with blue skin walked up and patted his leg. He looked down, surprised that the child was there; he hadn't expected it. Beautiful blue eyes gazed up through a haze of tears. Said tears were streaking her face, running down onto her muddy clothes. Her matted, bloody hair must have been amazing to look at once. It was a dark blue, almost black. He could tell she would have grown up to be a beautiful woman among her tribe. She now clung to his leg, her eyes begged for mercy. He raised his gun and shot her directly in the forehead. Not a single emotion ran through him, he was completely unfazed. He picked up the now limp corpse and dragged it to a nearby pile. 'She would have been a beautiful woman, the most respected of her tribe for her knowledge, a magnificent leader. Now she rots in a heap'

All he did was sit and wipe the blood off his gun, the act he'd just committed not even entering his mind. 'Murderer…'

A yell across the field caught his attention. Someone told him to check it out. He gripped his gun and headed towards the sound. It was a male of the tribe. Its blue skin was very light, very pale for this species. It's long black hair was tangled and matted. The bones sown into his clothes meant it was a seer, one of the ones who knew about the soldiers' arrival. He took his time examining the creature up close. It kneeled on the ground with it's hands clasped together, tears ran down this ones face as well. It's brown eyes pleading with him. The soldier knew that seers were often called crazy and avoided. This one was probably pale from hiding from the others of its kind. 'Like Dib was…' Finally he raised his gun and put the creature out of its misery. '…Would you have killed Dib…?'

He dragged the body to a pile and resumed his routine. The thought of his actions being evil never surfacing. 'Murderer…you don't deserve to live…you don't deserve the life you've received. You should have died when your leaders banished you. You never should have been allowed to live after the first black-out you caused…'

'No. You're wrong. Dib said-'

'Dib is naïve, he knows not what you've done.'

'But-'

'Just die already.'

'…'

…

…

He awoke in a sweat. The room was too hot, much too hot, so hot. He looked to the boy sleeping peacefully next to him. Dib seemed completely fine, he was completely covered by the sheets and wasn't bothered by the room temperature. Then…maybe it was just Zim? Zim rubbed his face and tried to clear his head of his previous thoughts.

After ten minutes Zim was still unable to relax. He couldn't get the image of the blue girl out of his mind. Had he actually done that? He knew he had but…it was such a distant memory. It chilled his heart to think that he could really do that to a little girl. And the boy…he was a smeet as well. Not as young as the girl, but Dib's age, at least. Zim shuddered at that. Despite Dib's unconscious moan when Zim moved away, Zim got up and left the sleeping quarters.

He needed air was all, yes, that would make the dreams stop. That would make the voice stop whispering to him in his sleep. Actually it wouldn't, and Zim knew that. But Zim was afraid his nightmares might spread into Dib if he stayed around too long. It was irrational, but Zim felt that that would happen.

As he neared the cooking room, Zim saw that the light was on. He entered cautiously, afraid that his dreams may have become reality. It was very late at night; no one else should have been awake at this time. When he poked his head in, he saw Tak in a bathrobe drinking something that made steam above the glass. "…Tak?"

Tak looked up from her thoughts and smiled tiredly at Zim. "Morning, I guess," Tak mumbled. Zim entered the room and leaned against the counter next to Tak. When the metal pin had ruptured her pak, something in her life-support had stopped working and she now required sleep, almost as much as the humans did. But Zim had found blueprints online and Skoodge and Zim had made sure that that was all that was wrong with her.

"Can't sleep?" Zim asked, looking down at the tiled floor. Tak nodded and sipped what smelled like tea. "Me neither…" Zim mumbled.

"Yeah, I guessed as much," Tak said, examining Zim's sleep-pants and exposed torso. He'd been so hot that he shed his shirt and was now half-naked. Tak traced a scar on Zim's arm, making him shudder slightly. "Were we really so bad…?" Tak asked barely above a whisper. Zim closed his eyes and nodded. "Do you think Skoodge dreams about these things too?" Zim looked over at Tak's worried expression.

"Skoodge doesn't sleep, Tak," Zim reminded her. He and Tak were the only Irken with the ability to sleep now.

Tak sighed in relief. "Good, he shouldn't have to think about this stuff…" Tak said, taking another sip.

"What the hell are you drinking anyway?" Zim asked, tired of smelling it and not knowing.

"Lemon tea, want some?" Tak offered, grinning and holding her glass towards Zim.

"N-no," Zim said, a little disgusted with the smell of it. Tak shrugged and went on drinking her tea. "What do you dream of…?" Zim asked, glancing up to meet Tak's purple eyes.

"…Training…" Tak answered, she paused, "And being on planet Dirt, all that filth…"

"…Mm." Zim glanced at Tak again, noticing how glazed her eyes looked, like she was in another world completely. "Good thing you have Skoodge…I bet he understands it all. He was the first one to conquer a planet in Impending Doom II you know," Zim told her. Tak's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, he told me. Nice to see he wasn't lying," Tak said with a laugh. "Yeah…he does understand…we talk about it all the time." Zim admired how Tak's eyes lit up when talking about Skoodge, how she seemed to melt inside. They'd only been "married" for two weeks, yet they reminded Zim of the old married couples on Earth programs. They talked all the time and always knew what the other was thinking. When Zim first noticed this, he'd thought it was some sort of telekinesis, like they were communicating with their minds or their paks. But after observing, he saw that they just knew each other's moves so well that they knew what was going on in their head. Zim understood once comparing that to Dib and himself.

"Too bad for you though…" Tak sighed, her face getting sad. "He's just a smeet…"

"Yeah…too young to know about war," Zim agreed, nodding. Tak looked at him sympathetically.

"I'm sorry," Tak said with true feeling. Zim stared at her.

"No…it's okay…I love Dib, even if he's just a smeet," Zim told her, that seemed to warm her up a bit. After a moment's pause, Zim corrected himself, "I love that he _is_ a smeet." Tak smiled and her eyes couldn't possible get warmer.

The image of the blue seer boy flashed in Zim's mind and he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What?" Tak asked, getting concerned again. "Bad image?" Zim nodded, letting his antennae lay limp in front of him. "Tell me…I mean, obviously you can't tell Dib, or you would still be in bed with him now, talking to him." Zim eyed her for a moment before deciding what she said wasn't an insult.

"Do you remember planet Cjar?" Zim asked, looking away from her.

"Yeah, on Dirt, I managed to built a sort of radio. And I heard that the first act of Impending Doom I was to finish off Cjar…" Tak said, slowly realizing why Zim had asked. "Oh…is that what you were thinking of?" Zim nodded.

"At the time…I didn't care…it didn't matter then," Zim whispered. "But Dib…that kid looked just like Dib…."

Tak set down her tea and quickly embraced Zim, her hands like ice on Zim's heated skin, it made him shiver. "Zim…we Irkens…really are damned…huh," Tak mumbled, her antennae brushing his. Scenes from other dreams burst in his head, the voice like acid dragging in his mind.

"Yeah," He managed to rasp. Zim stood still and felt Tak's icy hands on his sweat-covered skin. Her hands started to grow hot. Zim thought his body heat was just spreading into her, but she kept getting hotter and hotter. "T-Tak," Zim whispered, she shifted and leaned back to look at Zim but her hands stayed behind his shoulders. He closed his eyes as the heat sweltered.

"Zim, are you okay?" Tak asked him, but he didn't hear her. The heat burst and burned his skin dramatically making him cry out. Tak panicked and held onto Zim, trying to get Zim to come back, but everywhere she touched felt like a new lick of fire on Zim's skin. The pain spread and seeped into his back, swelling in the muscles and burning. He bent backward in pain and yelled. Tak finally let go and let Zim slide to the floor. He sat for a moment with his back leaning on the cabinet, the cold wood easing the pain. It took a few minutes, but the pain and fire subsided once Tak stopped touching him. "Zim?" Tak called, peering down at him worriedly.

Zim looked up groggily. "Huh?"

"What the hell was that?" Tak asked, holding out a hand to help Zim up.

Zim ignored her hand and heaved himself up. "I don't know," Zim said, looking at her hand. He remembered it had started with her hands and spread. Whatever new nuisance this was, he wouldn't be touching Tak again. Maybe she'd gone back to evil and wanted to kill him…with…hugs. That was stupid, Tak wasn't evil, but Zim had to be on his guard. "I think I'll go back to Dib," Zim mumbled, leaving a confused and slightly offended Tak.

…

Kaito sighed as Nikki laughed loudly. Her new plan had gone well. "Did you see, did you see?" Nikki cried out, watching the screens animatedly, "The dream serum worked perfectly and now his body is out of whack too! This is great."

Zim walked from the kitchen to the bedroom and went back to bed with his mate. "Now I must work diligently. There isn't much time left. The rest must pay as well…" She rubbed her hands together and set about her planning. Kaito stood aside and watched her working. It creeped him out a little how much she loved to hurt people, but he himself was a robot, so he guessed he didn't care. He stood and watched her and then headed off to his own work.

…

Reaching, grabbing, pulling. Claws descending, dragging across her skin. Consensual, but with a gun to her head…such unimaginable torture. Touching where she'd never been touched before, the bastards. That mock grin, like he'd won, flashing on her on the painful moments.

Gaz sat up in bed and ran a hand through her damp hair. She held her swollen belly gently, she knew why she'd been chosen and allowed to live outside the dungeons. Not because she'd be a good, kind mother, but because she was strong and her body could take what was coming. Ghost claws still raked down her naked arms, chilling her. Gaz got up and stood in front of the mirror, looking at how big her belly was. Her pants almost couldn't fit anymore, she needed Irken spandex, that would work. Gaz pressed a hand to her side. She could feel it, some new organ on her inside. She pressed a little harder and whatever it was inside her pressed back. A swift kick to her hand. Gaz gasped and let go.

The little bastard had kicked her, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Gaz smiled and felt for it again, holding it in her arms almost. She felt three kicks at once and got giddy. Just how many arms did the fucker have? Gaz didn't go back to sleep again, instead she felt for that little pulse, the foreign child. All night she felt for it kicking at her.

…

"Skoodge!" Tak whined, curling up to her partner, the occurrence with Zim earlier in the night having left her mind already.

"What dear?" Skoodge mumbled distractedly, busy with reading a newspaper.

"Gaz gets to have a baby…" Tak murmured softly.

"So?"

"I want one too!" Tak yelled, clinging to Skoodge's side. He finally gave her his full attention as he peered down at her in surprise at her neediness. That's when he noticed her lingerie and the sensual way she touched him.

"Do you really want one or do you just want sex again?" Skoodge asked suspiciously. Tak put her finger to her mouth and lowered her antennae in thought and blushed.

"Just sex!" She blurted out happily. Skoodge smiled and petted her antennae. If she had hair she'd be a bouncy blonde, Skoodge just knew it.

…

Dib was sitting on the bed when Zim came back in the room. "Hey," Dib called groggily.

"Hey," Zim said quietly, snaking his way up to Dib's side, leaning his head on Dib's shoulder.

"What were you doing up?" Dib asked, resting his cheek on Zim's head and noticing how warm he was.

Zim squirmed a bit. "Nothing, just…stretching…" Zim curled up and hoped that was a suitable answer.

"You know, you get up to _stretch _a lot. Almost every night," Dib said suspiciously, getting a firm hold on the alien without Zim noticing.

"Yeah, um…so?" Zim asked, squirming again.

"So. What's up?" Dib asked. Zim craned his neck to look up at the ceiling. Dib sighed deeply. "Not literally. What's going on, what's bugging you?"

"Oh," Zim breathed, looking back down. He leaned more heavily on Dib for a moment. "Nothing."

"Liar," Dib said immediately. Zim moaned. "Come on, tell me Zim," Dib said. He shifted and moved back so he could look into Zim's expression. He looked like he was in pain as he stared at the corner of the room. His eyes looked lost, like he was remembering things from long ago. It wasn't what Dib expected. "Zim…" Dib whispered, "Tell me what's wrong…"

For a moment, Zim looked like he might tell Dib everything, but he closed his eyes and hid his face in Dib's shoulder. "No," He said simply, pouting almost. Dib sighed and held Zim.

"Is it me?" Dib asked, still insecure about their relationship, despite all the times Zim proved he shouldn't be.

"No!" Zim almost yelled, not moving from his position. "The Dib would never be able to cause something like this," Zim said, relieving Dib from thinking he was the cause, while insulting him at the same time. Dib ignored the insult and held Zim tighter.

"One more question though…" Dib whispered, "Why are you so warm?" Zim waiting a minute, then shrugged. Dib decided to let it go, they were both tired and drilling Zim about something so stupid wouldn't help matters at all. Tomorrow he would work harder at Zim's 'stretching' though. For the moment, he let Zim fall back to sleep on his shoulder and eased them back in bed.

…

The next morning they woke up to Gir screaming his head off on top of them. "GIR!" Zim yelled, sounding like his old self again. "Get down!"

"Awww," Gir droned, jumping off the bed. They sat in bed and watched Gir as he rolled on the floor then stood up. "Oh yeeeaaaahh! I remember why I'm here now!" Rocket boosters sprouted from his feet and he flew up to Dib's head and plucked a single hair from his head. "Yay!" Gir screamed as he flew off out of the room.

"What was that about?" Zim asked, staring after the insane SIR unit.

"I…don't know," Dib mumbled, rubbing his head. "I think it was Gir just…being Gir…"

"Well he needs to stop…being Gir…." Zim said, for once noticing how his sentence didn't make sense.

"Um…let's just go get breakfast and forget about that," Dib suggested.

"Yeah," Zim agreed.

…

Down in the lower section of the deck, screaming could be heard bouncing off the metallic walls. "Gir, calm down and sit still," the computer ordered. Gir found a metal box and crawled inside, remaining silent. "Good. Did you get what I asked?" Gir peered over the edge of the box at a large computer screen tilted in Gir's direction. Gir held up the black hair in offering to the computer.

If the computer could grin, it would have done so now. "Good Gir. Now, put it in the machine, like a told you," it ordered. Gir walked over to the large box that looked like a vending machine.

"This?" Gir asked, pointing his stubby arm at the machine.

"Yeeeesss, now do it," the computer said, getting agitated with the little robot. Gir flipped open a front panel and stared at the inside of it for a while. "Gir! Put the hair. In the box."

"This?" Gir asked, pointing at the hair.

"YES!" The computer yelled. "How did Zim get anything done with you around…" it mumbled. Gir placed the hair in the panel and closed it, finally doing as he was asked. "Good Gir. Now, for Irk's sake, get away from the machine before you do something bad."

"Huh?" Gir asked absently, busy staring at the panel with mischief brewing in his eyes.

"Hey, Gir. Look, a taco!" The computer yelled with faux excitement, a light on the other end of the room lighting up. Gir screamed and ran for the light. With Gir distracted, the computer electronically put in commands to the vending-machine look-alike. "Irk, we're lucky Zim's DNA sequence is already entered in the system, I don't know how we'd get our hands on that ourselves." The computer observed the way Gir played with a piece of string in the corner. "Especially with you around."

They'd received direct orders from their master long ago about what to do when Dib and Zim arrived. The computer intended to follow through these orders, to the very last detail, no matter how frivolous it seemed. If only Gir would stop drooling on all the wires.

Now there were only a few more projects before the master's plan was finished. The computer opened a panel in the wall to watch one of these plans growing steadily. It looked human, almost. Of course, it wasn't finished yet, but only a little while more and it would be done. Humans said resurrection was impossible. Well, the master just disproved that.

Gir ran up to the giant glass cylinder and awed at it. "It look like a butterfly!" Gir yelled. The computer stared at the almost-human and wondered how on Irk it looked like a butterfly. "Fly, birdie, fly!" Gir screamed.

…

…

…

…

Meh, it's so short :(

I have to thank Nikki for this, for interrupting a dungeon to tell me to write.

Um, the next one will be longer :) Sorry for lateness and crapiness, I been busy with dungeons and surprisingly not that many dragons.

Read and Review plz. Reviews are life-blood. Do not deny my veins!


	2. Lurvely

Chapter Two: Lurvely

(Word, shut up, lurvely is totally a word)

Drops of blood littered the floor in a messy line to the door. If one hadn't been terrified of what lied behind the door, he might have thought the blood looked like a gory rendition of rose petals. He wasn't afraid, the blood excited him. He carefully sidestepped the glorious offering of blood and made way to the door. The door with blood on the handle and a single, red, hand-print on the front. He pushed it open and nearly died at what was inside.

Jack raised both wrists dripping with blood almost as though in offering. The circular bed was covered and dotted with bloodstains. It must have taken forever for Jack to spill blood and wait for his body to make more and spill it again. Jack was naked on the bed, also dripping with blood. It pleased Mau deeply as a malicious grin spread on his face.

Needless to say, Mau pounced on Jack and made him his all over again. But this time, they both enjoyed it.

…

Destruction. Desolation. Their destination. They decided to land on a planet, and Zim and Tak reasoned to them that a planet that was already conquered was safer. Everyone agreed on it, but Dib didn't know how horrible the planet actually looked. It seemed gray and placid from out in space, so he thought it might be okay on the surface. But it was mayhem everywhere. Burned buildings, overturned vehicles. Mysterious lumps on the ground that Dib didn't let his eyes concentrate on. He was just glad he'd made the girls stay in the ship while they scouted. He, Zim and Skoodge were picking around the blackened ground, looking for anything useful in the rubble.

Skoodge turned off their road, looking at a house down the road. Zim and Dib stayed back, examining something that looked like a wagon. "Zim…is this what Earth looks like now?" Dib asked, emotion piercing his voice.

"Maybe," Zim answered without putting any thought into it.

"I'm serious, is this what it's like?" Dib asked, starting to get pissed at Zim again.

"I'm serious too, I don't know what Earth looks like…I haven't been there," Zim said, overturning a clay pot with a stick.

Dib stared at that clay pot. "But you know what your kind does…you know how they destroy planets. Zim…are all my people dead?" Dib glanced up from the pot and at Zim's face. There was a hint of pain in Zim's eyes, but mostly he looked far away, distant with memory.

"Probably not…" Zim whispered, looking down at nothing in particular.

"Then…what? What's going on there?" Dib asked, staring at Zim until he answered.

"None of your planet's resources are compatible with our machines. So Earth is probably a prison planet now…with human laborers," Zim muttered.

"Shouldn't we go there then? We should save them!" Dib exclaimed.

"It's the whole planet, Dib, I don't think there's anything we can do for them…" Zim said, poking some ashes around with the stick.

"Don't say that! There's got to be something we can do! They're my people, Zim, we have to help them!" Dib said. Zim sighed and crouched on the ground, setting down the stick.

Zim ran his fingers through the ashy, gray dirt, picking up some of it in his hand. "Look at this planet, Dib. Is there anything we can do for the indigenous people? For the land?" Zim asked.

For as far as Dib could see the air was clouded, smoke still hung in the air above them, and the ground was black and chalky. "No…I guess not…"

"Then what can we do for Earth? This is what your planet is like now…it's dead. There's nothing left," Zim said, eyes fixated on the dirt. Dib's heart pulled at him with pain. He wouldn't hear Zim's words, Zim had to be wrong like he usually was. There wasn't any way that Earth could be so dead like this planet.

"You just don't want to try," Dib said coldly, "You're giving up before giving it a chance." Zim didn't way anything back. For a while they just stood there in silence. Dib put his hands in his pockets and looked away. Soon they heard the crunch of boots on ash and rubble.

"Hey guys," Skoodge called, "All clear."

"There's obviously nothing left on this planet," Zim muttered. Dib wanted to smack Zim upside the head but didn't.

"Don't say that," Dib scolded, "Who knows what's out here." Dib looked over the vast land. Underneath the disgust at what was done to this place, Dib was excited to explore a new planet again.

They kept walking and searching ruins. Neither Zim nor Skoodge told Dib that they knew for a fact that nothing was left, they knew personally.

…

Dark grungy walls that gave off a sense of hopelessness. Every once in a while a bilge would run across the floor and into the corner. She feared to know why the bilges ran through her room so often. Everything was dirty and smelled like burning flesh. Maybe somewhere in the prison they did burn bodies…she tried not to linger on that thought. A rough shiver coursed her spine, how long had it been since she was warm? Back when she was teaching, yes, that always made her heart alive.

She taught the soldiers on Devastis. Her subject was chemical warfare. But that wasn't what got her in this place…was it. No, it was her special job that only a few people knew of. She was there to spread word of something huge. Something that would shake the very foundation of Irken society. Everyone thought that the Tallest was the only leader there was. Kita knew there was a leader more powerful than any Tallest. That was the word she spread, that the unseen overlord was much more powerful than the Tallest. She also told them that the unseen overlord taught love. Kita was surprised and confused when first confronted with this concept of love, but it soon became habit. Love was an emotion deemed hazardous by the control brains, thus they flushed it out of the paks.

There was one face that Kita always remembered in these times. A confused little face that didn't understand what she said at all. She could tell he had mental scars from all that Irkens went through, like most did, but he was different. It was like he was cracked inside. He would rant and rave and make ridiculous demands that didn't make sense. This was a special case in her mind, she thought it would be hard to teach him. But when she talked to him, he quieted. She thought something was wrong, but he was just listening. He was actually trying to understand what she was explaining. If only she'd had more time…maybe. No, she couldn't think like that. But…if she could get out and find him.

A distant yelling sounded. It seemed like someone new was here. Maybe Red was getting bored with her. She desperately hoped so. She hugged her knees to her chest and began rocking softly. Someday…someday she would be out of there. Someday he would save her. Someday…she'd be free…. Someday.

…

Gaz sat at the control console flipping through television stations, looking for something familiar. Her feet were precariously propped on the edge, nearly pressing several buttons. She reclined back in the chair Zim usually took, making sure to put her weight directly on the back to change its shape a little.

"Hi~!" Tak chirped by Gaz's ear. Gaz jumped and nearly smacked Tak with the remote. Tak giggled and sat on the bench by the wall, just a couple feet away from Gaz. "So what ya doing?" Tak asked. She was seriously reminding Gaz of several high school girls she used to know.

"TV," Gaz grunted.

"That's great!" Tak cheered. Gaz didn't bother to reply, staring at the TV set above the console as she flipped channels. Out here in space there were thousands, and Gaz was intent on seeing each one for exactly two seconds. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Tak staring at her.

"What?" Gaz barked, tilting her head slightly Tak's way. She noticed that Tak was staring at her middle. Tak blushed and looked down at her hands.

"Um…what does…Oh gosh," Tak fidgeted for a minute. "What does…it feel like…?"

Gaz stopped pushing the up button and the TV stopped on some romantic looking alien show. She thought seriously about what Tak was asking. She set the remote down and gently touched her belly where a creature was growing steadily beneath the surface. "It's painful," Gaz said bluntly. Tak's smile faltered a bit, but she waited. "And it's…wonderful." Gaz thought about how every night now she stayed up just to feel her child moving around. To feel it's heart beat against hers. Sometimes it was in sync, sometimes not. "It's like a little person…and it's part me too. It feels like it shouldn't be there, it's foreign. But then again, it belongs there, I feel it. I…I want it there…I…." Gaz faltered as her throat stopped working. She noticed her eyes felt warm and liquidy, but she went on. "I just want it safe…I _want_ it inside of me…where it's safe and warm…"

Tak stared at Gaz with wide, wondrous eyes. "G-Gaz…I think you're talking about…love," Tak whispered. Gaz let out a sharp laugh.

"Love?" Gaz asked, "You seriously think that's something I'm capable of?"

"I think your more than capable of it," Tak defended.

"Tak, I shot you in the head with the intent of killing you…because I was bored with you…" Gaz said strongly, but then in a much softer voice added, "I felt nothing…I'm a monster…I don't deserve a child to love…"

"Yes you do!" Tak said, standing up, "You shot me without feeling because of your surroundings. What do you think Skoodge and Zim and I have been bred to do? We were taught not to feel. And that place…it made you into that…it made you into us."

Gaz stared coldly at the TV, her mind not even registering its movement. "I nearly killed both Zim and Dib…what kind of sister is that? …I'm a bitch, Tak. Stop defending me already."

"No," Tak said, standing her ground. "You're nothing compared to us, Gaz. You have no idea what we've done. I dream of killing people every night, and they're all memories. I remember pulling couples apart as they cowered before us, and sending them opposite ways, usually killing the males." Hot tears began budding in Tak's eyes. "And I felt nothing. I destroyed them…on the inside and I felt nothing."

"And you know what?" Tak went on, "Zim dreams too, of doing these things; probably worse things than me. Everyone has demons, Gaz. As an Earth saying I thought you would know that." Tak took a moment to collect her thoughts. "And you know what? We three Irkens did all those bad things…but we're happy now…we all have someone to love. And now…after all the shit you've been through…the shit you've done…you have someone to love too."

Tak waited and watched Gaz. She was staring at her belly with her hands cupped around her stomach. Her hands were shaking and her face was wet. Tak stepped closer and saw the pained, yet curious expression Gaz had. "Well…if that's the case…what the hell am I gonna call this thing?" Gaz asked shakily, laughing a little. Tak smiled and brought the bench closer to Gaz.

"I like the name Miz."

…

- - - - - MEANWHILE _back at the Batcave_ (coughs for an insanely long time) we mean, _the Massive_- - - - - - -

"Hey Red…" Purple called leisurely.

Red sighed deeply. "Yeah Pur…"

"Where did Gaz go? I was gunna show her these chips, they're awesome," Purple said, munching on said chips.

"She's not here anymore, Pur, she left, remember," Red explained, tired of saying the same thing over and over. Purple had worse attention span problems than he did, so he kept forgetting that Gaz was gone now.

"Oh…" Purple said dejectedly. "We need a new Gaz…"

"Yeah," Red agreed. They sat in silence and watched the stars for a moment.

"Wanna use one of the prisoners as a new Gaz?" Purple suggested, getting excited at the idea.

"Well…okay. But it has to be a broken in one…I don't want the new Gaz to run around trying to escape or anything," Red said, getting up.

"How about that Kita from Miyuki's section, she always obeys," Purple said, gulping down a slushy.

"Sure, that'll work," Red said, happy at getting to see Kita again.

…

"I don't know, Zim…this seems like a bad idea. Like…a _really_ bad idea," Dib mumbled.

"Oh come on, Dib, it's just a cave," Zim teased.

"A cave filled with potentially harmful things," Skoodge pointed out, staring into the gaping hole of the cave. It seemed really dark and confusing down there. It didn't seem wise to travel into a cave on an unfamiliar planet. But Zim did unwise things all the time and he was okay, maybe he was just extremely lucky.

"We're trained elite soldiers, Skoodge," Zim mumbled, "And…a human added is…well less, but still."

"Hey!" Dib said, offended.

"What?" Zim asked, shrugging. All three looked back at the cave.

"You can't be serious about this," Dib said nervously.

"Oh but I am," Zim said, almost boasting, "There could be all kind of wonderful things in there and your irrational fear is hindering us."

"Irrational?" Dib asked, "My fear is completely rational. Do you even know what could be down there?"

"Yeah," Zim said puffing up, "Awesome things! That's what!"

Dib let out a growl of frustration and stalked through the entrance of the cave. Zim smirked at Skoodge then walked in after Dib. Skoodge sighed and followed suit, no point in turning away now.

…

"No," Gaz said, turning her head away.

"But its such a cute name," Tak whined.

"I don't care if it's cute…because it is cute. I don't want it," Gaz said stubbornly.

Tak sighed. "Fine…it's your baby I guess." Gaz smiled and raised her chin proudly. "But Tamara is so cute…. What will you name it if it's a girl?"

Gaz felt around for the baby kicking and held it. "I think…Elizabeth." Tak gasped loudly making Gaz laugh. "I like how many nicknames there are for it."

Tak nodded. "I like it, it's cute. My name is just Tak…no nicknames."

"Yeah," Gaz agreed, "Gazelle can either be Gaz or Elle, not much of a choice."

"I like your name, it's pretty," Tak said in her air headed manner.

Gaz smiled. "Thanks. Yours is cool, too." Tak smiled proudly. They were getting along quite nicely. Gaz had never talked about something so mundane like names and enjoyed it this much. Maybe this whole 'friend' thing wasn't just for whiners. Hell, even if it made her a whiner, Gaz wouldn't give this up.

"Tak, I-" Gaz stopped short with a sharp intake of breath, clenching her hands into fists.

"What, what's wrong?" Tak asked, starting to panic.

"N-nothing, it just…it's passing…" Gaz managed. She let out a breath and relaxed. "I…I don't know what that was…"

Tak's eyes wandered over Gaz's belly and she noticed something Gaz might not have. "Um…Gaz. Did you wet yourself?" Tak asked, pointing to Gaz's crotch. Gaz rose slightly to look.

"Aw crap…" Gaz mumbled. Tak got that panicky look again. "Tak…my water just broke…"

…

It was really dark, Dib could hardly see. He let Zim go ahead of him, staying between the two Irkens who could actually see where they were going. With nothing else for Dib's eyes to concentrate on, he started to think of other things. Eventually he thought of Gaz. How long did Zim say until the baby came? A month and a half, and she was already a month in at the time. Dib did the math in his head and figured Gaz was dangerously close to giving birth.

Dib pulled out his radio and tried to call back to the ship to see how Gaz was. It bleeped then shut off. Dib panicked. Crap, they were in a cave, the radio probably couldn't get the reception to call back. "Zim…Zim we need to go back to the ship now," Dib called ahead of him.

"Oh really? What happened to 'There could be anything out here?'" Zim asked with a laugh. Dib frowned.

"Gaz is pregnant and she could go into labor at any time," Din said grimly, trying to get the point across, "So lets go and see how she is. The radio won't work down here, we need to go back up."

"I think he's right, let's just go, Zim," Skoodge called from the back. Zim sighed loudly.

"Fine…but you owe me a cool cave trip thingy," Zim whined, letting Skoodge take the lead in backtracking. Dib turned around and followed Skoodge, making sure he heard Zim walking behind him. Zim was just the type of person to sneak off and explore on his own.

All of a sudden Dib walked straight into Skoodge, almost tripping over him. "Hey," Dib grunted.

"Uh…Dib…there's a…" Skoodge stammered. Zim stopped short of Dib without running into him.

"What, Skoodge, just say it," Dib grumbled, angry at having slammed into Skoodge.

"_Hello, little tasty morsels_," A dark and deceptive voice hissed at them.

"W-What the fuck?" Dib asked, breathless, eyes wide in trying to see the thing in front of them. Dib felt Zim's hands on his back and could only assume Zim was looking over him to see what was in their path.

"It's a…bilge spider…" Zim whispered, almost in awe.

"What's it doing here, Zim?" Skoodge asked.

"I dunno…" Zim said unhelpfully.

"Do not speak of the Great Marok like he isn't here," Marok said angrily.

"Hey look, Zim's not the only who speaks in third person," Dib said with a nervous laugh. Zim lightly smacked Dib's head and Dib wished he could see Zim's face right then.

"You all know what Marok wants, one of you has it," Marok whispered.

"M-My robot bee?" Zim asked in a small voice.

"What? No," Marok said, a bit confused.

"Don't take my robot bee!" Zim yelled, the weight of Zim clutching something to his chest pressed into Dib's back as Zim tried to hide behind him.

"I didn't even know you brought that out here, Zim," Dib mumbled.

"What's a robot bee?" Skoodge asked.

"Enough about the damn bee!" Marok yelled.

"MY BEE!" Zim yelled back.

"GAHHH!" Marok screamed in frustration. A scratching could be heard on the ceiling and dust fell on Dib.

"He left…" Skoodge whispered in amazement.

"Nice job on annoying him so he'd leave, Zim," Dib congratulated.

"Yeah, it would've eaten us. How'd you know to do that?" Skoodge asked. Zim remained pressed against Dib.

"Um…yeah, haha. I so did that on purpose," Zim said shakily, "I knew because…because I am ZIM! And I just know these things!" Dib and Skoodge laughed and kept walking. Zim reached up and took Dib's hand, and for the moment, Dib let go of all the frustrating thoughts about Earth and Zim not cooperating and just enjoyed the feeling of Zim's sweaty hand in his.

…

"It's a boy," Tak had announced. Gaz didn't know what her feelings were about that. She knew she was happy about one thing, Zim's favorite chair being ruined, it was his fault since he wasn't here. That's what Gaz thought anyway. Now Tak and the child were in the back, she was making the computer check on him to see that he was okay.

Gaz felt something…this longing. Like the child that was with her for so long was gone now. He wasn't save out in the world, he needed to be back with Gaz. The TV was still on some weird alien channel, but she didn't bother to change it, the noise and the light were nice. She stared at it with glazed eyes. It had been more tiring than she thought, getting that thing out of her. Stupid little kid…how dare it make Gaz hurt so much and take so much energy from her.

Pessimistic feelings were building up rapidly inside Gaz. She sat up weakly and looked over at Tak. She was just bundling up the kid. She turned and grinned at Gaz, picking him up in her arms. "Here," Tak said warmly, handing him off to Gaz. The bundle in her arms was so soft and warm. She glared down at him, still angry, but he opened his eyes and looked into hers…and smiled. Gaz found herself smiling too. He had green…_green_ eyes. They were like little emeralds staring at her. He had pale skin, like all babies, but Gaz could see a small hint of green, making him kind of olive.

She shifted the bundle and looked at his little hands. Four fingers. Gaz opened the cloth a little, four toes…and a tail. Not just a tail…a cute little…baby tail. It made Gaz smiled and laugh softly at her child. So that was what kept hitting her at night, his overactive tail. Gaz looked up to make sure Tak knew about the tail. Tak was smiling and watching Gaz warmly. Remembering her previous thoughts, Gaz though about Tak, she'd taken care of him perfectly. Gaz wrapped him back up and cuddled him gently to her chest and reclined in Zim's chair. Maybe he was safe out here in the world. Gaz could protect him, and Tak as well. And the boys would definitely take care of him, or she'd beat the hell out of them.

"Hello," Gaz cooed, getting the baby's attention again, "Welcome to the world, little Miz."

…

…

…

…

:D so lovey dovey. I love this chapter, it's so cute and was so much fun to write. I love Miz…I think he's my favorite now.

If you're wondering why the androids didn't help Gaz out with the kid being born and shit well…um…they went on vacation. Yes, that's exactly what happened (cough cough)

Sorry this took so long again. I've been playing world of Warcraft a lot lately cause school's been cancelled for practically two weeks, only went to school for three days I think the last two weeks. XD it's been awesome. I meant to post this on Lurv day, thus why Mau/Jack was there, but I couldn't wait to share this. Enjoy :) R&R


	3. Cataclysm

Chapter Three: Cataclysm  
Warning: Craziness may occur, your brain could possibly e'splode (if it does, i wantz the bits o' brain)

It was so dark, so very dark. Kita thought it might last forever. The vile fumes of other people's bodies were making her nauseous. How long had she been here?

She heard something down the hall, a clinking of metal. She shrank back against the wall and prayed it wasn't _him_.

A stream of light flooded into the hall, illuminating the faces of the prisoners. Kita could see the scared face of a young girl in the cell opposite her. They met eyes, hoping for the best.

A soft hum entered the room full of whimpers and whispered prayers and crying. There was always someone crying here. She kept her head down until she caught sight of a hovering robe stop just in front of her cell. Her heart filled with panic and fear, it was too soon again for another visit.

The hem was purple though. Red never wore purple robes… Kita looked up into purple, glassy observing eyes. That didn't make any sense.

The man in front of her caught on to Kita's confusion. "Hi!" He said in a kind voice that definitely wasn't Red's. "I'm Tallest purple!" He introduced.

"Purple…" Kita murmured, "But what about Tallest Red?" She asked, very confused.

"We're both Tallest's, we're the same height," Purple told her, not bothered in the least that she hadn't known about him. "Oh yeah!" Purple said, like he just remembered something, "I'm here to bring you up."

"Up?"

"Uh huh," Purple said happily and absentmindedly, "You're gonna be the new Gaz!" Purple pulled a card out of his belt and flashed it to the monitor on the wall, lowering the force field that served as Kita's cell door. "Come on."

"Kita took Purple's outstretched hand and for the first time in Irk knows when, she stepped outside of her cell. She was shaky at first, but her pak reminded her of what to do. She watched, blurry eyed, as the morbid place she'd always known passed her by. It was quite a while before they reached an elevator.

The inside of the elevator was so neat and clean, Kita was nearly brown with dirt and disgusting in comparison to Purple.

She let her eyes gaze over the beauty of the elevator, the shiny metals. Then she caught sight of her reflection and blushed. She was completely naked and she hadn't even realized it. She'd been down there in that cell for so long she'd forgotten they took her clothes.

Purple got that look on his face like he remembered something again. He reached into his pak and gave Kita a length of rag. She held it around herself and still blushed. Irken custom was to only show skin when completely necessary, and Kita had so much skin showing. Purple seemed not to notice though, like he didn't really care at all.

"W-Who's Gaz?" Kita asked, her antennae falling forward across her face.

"She was an alien. She ate a lot. We liked her. She left. Now you're here," Purple summed up happily. Kita took this to heart, trying to remember to eat a lot, if that's what Gaz did. She couldn't be an alien, but she could try to act eccentric. "Oh, and she had purple hair. On her head," Purple added. _Well, I have purple eyes_, Kita thought, _Maybe that helps_.

…

There it went again. Zim sat straight up in the bed, antennae perked up, listening hard. Infernal child. It was definitely of Gaz's loins if it knew just when to scream it's head off to wake Zim up just as he fell asleep. Lately he hadn't even had the chance to have nightmares again, what with the lack of sleep. Gaz just had to move her room closer to theirs. She had used the excuse that she wanted them around just in case. In case of_ what,_ Zim had wondered. But he hadn't protested, and Dib was actually excited about it.

There was something about humans…they loved offspring. Once while Gaz was busy, Zim had caught Dib playing with _it,_ and cooing at it…making faces at it. And it made faces back at him! This idea of babies and Dib together was sickening. But also…Dib just seemed so at peace with the kid. What had it been called…Miz?

Zim looked over at Dib sleeping sounding, he couldn't hear the child yelling. Of course, Dib didn't have Zim's hearing. Laying back down to gaze at Dib, he wondered if he even needed to sleep. Tak and the Dib needed to, yes. But did he? Apparently Gaz didn't sleep at all, or at least it seemed that way. She was always tending t the child, as humans often said, it was like a twenty-four hour job. But that was no surprise. Zim had been stopped in stores before by crazy mothers and ranted at for long periods of time by them while their children wreaked havoc. Speaking of small children, Gir wasn't upset at Gaz's divided attention at all. He was rather helpful, making Gaz take breaks from mothering sometimes.

What confused Zim most of all wasn't the child itself, or Gir's strangeness, it was Gaz. The look in her eyes when she held her kid. It made Zim wonder if Gaz had always been like that, deep inside. She never complained, so Zim didn't expect her to whine like others Zim had met. But he hadn't expected this either. She never seemed to mind the child's clinginess or its constant pulling on her hair and chest. In fact, she even seemed to like it. Humans were very strange.

Zim buried himself under covers and pillows and partially even Dib, and tried to ignore the child. Eventually it quieted down and gave him peace. There was no doubt though that when Zim finally fell asleep again the kid would probably begin to wail even louder than before.

…

It was all coming together. Yes, her master plan was finally working! Well, almost. She was still working on…details…. Slipping something into Gaz's drink to induce her labor had worked, but…it hadn't had the result she'd hoped for.

She hadn't been as murderous as Nikki thought. But no matter, there were always other plans, or ways to ruin their lives. She called Kaito in quickly to tell him about her new plan. He came in and lazily shut the door, looming over her with that frown of his. "Okay Kaito, you might have to help me with this one, but it's frikkin' brilliant, man, I swear-"

"Nikki," Kaito interrupted, "Would you care to tell me where my fellow androids are?"

Nikki stared up at Kaito innocently. "What? I haven't done anything," She lied, feigning a hurt expression.

But Kaito saw through her guise quickly. "Tell me, or I won't help you with anything," Kaito threatened. The harsh words made Nikki shrink back in her chair.

"Y-You wouldn't just leave me…" Nikki whispered.

"Maybe, maybe not. You're a psychic, you tell me," Kaito said, his dark expression never changing. "You're lucky the humans haven't noticed their absence yet. But trust me, they will. Then they'll scan the ship for them. And they'd see your bio-marker and discover you."

Nikki's eyes widened with worry. She ran her shaky hands through her red-tinted hair and squinted back at the monitors. The chair squeaked as she drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. "They're…they're playing games in the lower deck…except Meiko…she has porno tapes and alcohol…" Nikki muttered.

"Good. Don't lie to me again, Nikki…or you'll regret it," Kaito warned. Nikki nodded and looked up at him vulnerably. "Now, tell me your plan," Kaito said with a sigh, making Nikki grin as she began to ramble out her plans.

…

There were fungal spores on the surface of the planet they were lodged at. And Nikki would sneak out, get some of them, and then sneak back in and put them under certain people's beds. Kaito would keep watch and make sure no one noticed. The only real problem would be Skoodge, but he usually holed himself away with something while everyone else slept anyway.

Nikki snickered as she collected the spores; she was so brilliant. No Irken mind could match hers. The spores weren't even as hard to collect as she thought they would be. She had her basket nearly full when a loud sound overhead threw her off balance.

Above her was a huge, white pod. It gleamed with light and made her wince. It didn't even stop as it passed her, it just kept sailing through the air. Soon it passed their ship and kept going. Nikki wondered what it was and hurried back to the ship so no one would see her. Surely they would be up to see this new craft.

…

Where was he? What had they done with him? They'd…banished him…. How dare they? Anger rose in here when she heard what they'd done, what they'd said to him. But she pushed it down and remained calm, made them think she enjoyed watching these things before her eyes. But secretly she wished them dead…so dead. These Tallests would pay for what they'd done. Kita watched with ire and hate brimming inside.

She'd been brushed, clothed, washed, fed and now she sat with them, as though she were one of them again. Strange how they could do that, rape someone senseless and then reenter them into the group without a care.

"Kita, isn't this so much fun?" Purple asked, watching her with a grin.

"Oh yes, darling, it is," Kita answered with a smile, purple's grin fell away.

"Gaz never smiled," Purple told her.

"And she never had fun," Red added, staring at her. Who was this Gaz? Kita would have to find out, watch tapes of her to see her mannerisms, she wouldn't lose this place because she smiled wrongly. No, she would use this position to get revenge.

"I sorry," Kita apologized, "Or…maybe I'm not. It doesn't seem like Gaz would be sorry…"

Purple smiled again. "She wouldn't, actually," He said happily. Kita almost smiled, to keep up to façade, but didn't. This Gaz person wouldn't smile just because Purple did. And both the Tallests seemed all the happier that she frowned rather than smiled at them.

…

"S-Shit!" Dib squeaked as the alarms blared down the hallways. Everyone woke up and rushed into the hall, except for Zim. Dib had to go back and kick Zim awake and practically drag him out of bed.

"What the fuck is going on?" Zim asked, not liking his sleep getting interrupted, yet again.

"I don't know, but you two better find out!" Gaz told them, holding a crying Miz. Zim glared at the smeet when Gaz wasn't looking. At least he wasn't the one to deal with the kid and Gaz was.

A crackling came from above, then Skoodge's voice, _"Uh…Everyone to the bridge, now!"_ He said nervously. Obviously, something serious was going on.

"_And have a nice day!"_ Tak added through the speaker. All three exchanged confused glances but went to the bridge, in no hurry. Soon, the alarm was shut down and Miz was quieted, to Zim's relief.

"When they reached the bridge, Skoodge was huddled beneath a desk, seeming completely scared. Tak was waltzing around the room with Mini-moose and Gir. "Tak! For the last time, we're not having a party! Stop listening to Gir!" Skoodge yelled.

"Then why are there lights? It's gotta be a party!" Tak squealed happily.

"Just believe me, Tak, it's not! Now hide!" Skoodge yelled.

"What in the hell is going on?" Gaz asked angrily.

Skoodge looked over, having just noticed everyone come in. "We're being invaded!" Skoodge told them.

"Invaded?" Zim asked, "_We're_ being invaded?" The ship with three ex-invaders and two competent humans was being_ invaded_?

"Yes, Zim," Skoodge answered gruffly, glancing at a screen on the wall. Zim went to it and looked it over.

"By who?" Zim asked, glancing at Skoodge.

"I-I can't tell…" Skoodge told him, shrinking under the desk further. All of a sudden they heard a loud banging on the door. Tak stopped dancing and watched the door with fearful eyes, maybe believing Skoodge now. Mini-moose flew away as Tak released him and flew under the desk with Skoodge.

Everyone turned to face the door as the banging started again. Just when it seemed like the banging would stop, the door flew open. And there stood Rin. "Rin!" Dib exclaimed, running to her. "Thank God, are you okay?" She seemed…blank. She didn't look at Dib when he talked to her, and she didn't seem to look anywhere.

"Rin?" Tak called, stepping closer to them, Gir clutched to her chest.

"Subjects have been flagged as dangerous. Destroy," Rin said, her voice void of emotion or tone. There was also a more metallic ring in her voice than normal.

"What are you talking about?" Dib asked, putting his arm on Rin's shoulder. She spun and slammed him to the floor with the arm he'd put on her shoulder.

"Dib!" Zim yelled, running over immediately. With lightning quick reflexes, Rin swung her arm into Zim's gut as he reached them, dropping him to the floor as well. She stepped over them both and headed for Tak, who screamed and held Gir tighter to her chest. Gaz didn't say a word as she backed slowly to the far wall, attempting to keep Miz quiet as she went.

Suddenly, Skoodge leaped out and tackled Rin, keeping her away from Tak, who fled to a corner. Gaz managed to reach the wall she was going towards and grabbed something from it. As Skoodge tried to wrestle with Rin, Gaz fiddled with the weapon she had. Finally, Rin sent Skoodge flying into a nearby table, which broke on impact.

As Rin moved closer to Tak once again, sparks of electricity hit Rin directly in the chest, temporarily shutting her down. Rin fell to the ground with a heavy metallic thump and everyone looked over at Gaz, who held Miz in one arm and a huge gun in the other. "Alright, now what the hell just happened?" Gaz asked, walking over to Rin. She passed the gun off to Tak, who didn't seem to know what to do with it. Gaz took a seat on a nearby bench and calmed Miz as Tak rushed over to Skoodge.

Dib and Zim helped each other up and looked at Rin. Dib crouched near her and looked at the emotionless, empty face. "I…I don't know…" Dib said, wondering what could have happened to her.

Zim stood over her and watched her as well. "Someone, or something, must have messed with it, made it do this," Zim deduced, musing over it.

"Who would do that?" Skoodge asked, joining the conversation. He neared Rin as well, with Tak clinging to his arm, holding Gir tightly with her other arm. Gir seemed completely unaffected by any of this and hugged Tak back.

"And how?" Dib asked. He didn't think someone could just reprogram her, not like this.

"…Not sure," Zim said, crouching and looking at her closer up. "It's wiring is extremely complex…only someone with knowledge on its designs could reprogram it."

"Who would know the designs?" Skoodge asked, looking more at Tak than at Rin. Gaz looked like she wasn't even paying attention to the conversation, tending only to Miz.

"…Again, dunno," Zim said, looking agitated, "Anyone with proper training could learn it quickly." He glanced at Skoodge and then at Dib. "We need to figure this out…"

It seemed that Zim was really taking charge now, and Dib was proud of it. Finally, a situation where Zim's training came in handy. And Dib could see that training now, reflected in the way Zim was taking command and actually thinking things through.

A new alarm sounded and everyone looked up. Skoodge went to the console, followed by Tak. "It's…ugh…" Skoodge grumbled.

"What?" Zim demanded, stomping over to the monitor. Dib stood up and, not knowing how to help, sat by Gaz on the bench. She didn't even notice him sitting there, but Miz did, he stared at Dib. "Crap…I hate them…"

"They're fun!" Tak burst out, seeming not to be afraid now.

"Of course, _you_ think they're fun," Zim murmured angrily.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Skoodge asked, getting irritated, too.

Zim stared at Skoodge hatefully. "She made a whole ton of them attack me once…out of spite! Before I even pissed her off!"

"So?" Skoodge asked, stepping closer to Tak protectively.

"Who?" Gaz asked, speaking up again, breaking up the could-have-been fight.

"…Freaking space pirates…" Zim mumbled, crossing his arms and staring up at the ceiling. Tak cheered and Zim did his best to ignore her. "It's not even like they're dangerous…just really…_really_ annoying."

"Whatever," Gaz said, a bit relieved. Miz squirmed in Gaz's arms and she stopped paying attention to everyone talking again.

Loud bursts down the hall got everyone's attention. "I don't think we're really…safe here," Skoodge pointed out. Tak latched onto his arm as she squealed.

"Hey, stupid," Gaz called, everyone looked at her and she smirked, successfully having gotten their attention and insulted all of them at the same time. "Make yourself useful, Tak," She said, handing off Miz to the skittish Irken. She let go of Skoodge and Gir, making Miz her priority. "Come on," Gaz barked, storming out of the room, Zim following directly behind her.

As they sped through the halls, the ship shuddered and shook. Dev noticed a strange coldness, like there was something dangerous nearby. "Stop!" Zim yelled, stopping at a door that was already wide open. Gaz glared at him with all her might, but stopped and waited silently. Slowly and quietly, Zim peeked into the room.

A small body came flying out of the room, trying to get away, but Zim caught it and held it still. "Let go of me!" She yelled, struggling against him.

"Who are you," Gaz questioned, "And why are you on my ship?" The girl stopped and glared up at Gaz before grinning wide.

"You know who I am, but if you don't, I don't know why you don't," The girl said confusingly.

"Don't be stupid, just answer the question," Zim grumbled, already tired of the girl's presence.

"I am Nikki of the Gypsies," She said proudly, and she seemed about to go on a huge monologue about gypsies before Gaz interrupted her.

"Oh yeah, I remember. Are you here for your…revenge or something?" Gaz asked, also getting bored.

"Yes! You all have-!"

"We aren't really accepting revenge right now…please hang up and…don't call again," Zim said, dumping the gypsy on the floor.

"B-But…" Nikki glanced around at Zim and Gaz, shocked. They both ignored her and went into the room they found her in. Tak and Skoodge followed, but Dib stayed behind.

"You really, honestly think you can do anything here?" Dib asked, watching her mope on the floor. Nikki shrugged sadly and traced patterns into the floor.

"I know!" She burst suddenly, an insane grin coming to her face, her eyes lighting up. "All I need is some rope, some glue, a robot bee, an anvil, a giant hammer…" She went on muttering.

"That sounds pretty stupid, first of all. And should you really be saying this to me? You know, the enemy or whatever?" Dib asked, watching the supposedly amazing thoughts pass through Nikki's face. She frowned a second but smiled again, like she forgot what made her unhappy in the first place.

"It's okay, you wouldn't tell," She said happily.

"I'm pretty sure I would," Dib said lazily, wondering what this kid's deal was.

"Nu-uh, cause you're a puppy! And puppies don't betray their masters!" Nikki whispered, reached her fingers out towards Dib menacingly, looking like a puppet master without any strings…or puppets…or sanity.

"Uh-huh, sure…" Dib mumbled, slowly backing away into the little room. Thankfully, Nikki didn't notice him moving.

Everyone was staring at some sort of monitor, and Dib saw why when he got closer. It was one of the androids, the one with dark blue hair. He was on the video-screen, but something seemed off about him, he was frowning. "I'll only say this one more time…Hand him over or you'll all die."

"We'll never give him to you, Kaito," Zim said, fire in his eyes, "It's dumb of you to even ask." Zim flipped him off and turned away from the screen.

"I expected as much from you, Zim, but what about you, Gaz? He _is_ of your own flesh, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind giving up a burden or two," Kaito said to her. She glared at him and didn't waver one bit. Dib could only assume they were talking about Miz, but he didn't know why.

"Of course, not. Maybe in the past, but now you're mistaken," Gaz said, her glare holding more power than usual, if it were possible.

"Bad robot…" Tak mumbled, rocking Miz gently. Skoodge and Dib remained silent and just watched.

"Fine. You leave me no alternative," Kaito said gravely, "I've reprogrammed all the androids on board to attack you. Also…I believe you have visitors."

"…You're not an android, then," Zim guessed, staring at Kaito.

For the first time during the whole conversation, Kaito smiled, but it was more like an evil leer. "No, I'm not," He answered, not revealing what he really was as the transmission ended.

As the screen went blank, Gaz cursed and slammed her first on the control panel, Zim glared at her for hitting the machine but didn't say anything. "Who was he talking about?" Dib asked, trying to keep up with everything.

Zim and Gaz both turned, just noticing he was in the room for the first time. "What? No one," Zim replied quickly. Gaz glared at him and headed out the door.

"He meant you, Dib. He wanted you…for the prophecy," Gaz muttered on her way past Dib. Now Zim glared at both of them, but Dib ignored him.

"So," Dib said, with more volume, "Now that we know Kaito is controlling the androids…what do we do?" Zim shrugged and followed Gaz out.

Now Gaz decided to take charge. "First of all, we need to find these 'intruders'," She announced, walking fast.

"Not if we find you first," A metallic voice said from above. Dib looked up and saw a parrot on the ceiling. A…robotic parrot.

"Crap," Zim moaned, "Not the parrot…"

"Why?" Dib asked, glancing at the parrot again. Something evil glinted in it's eyes just before it started shrieking bloody freaking murder. "Oh…"

Gaz pulled on Dib's arm to hurry him. "Come on, we need to be fast…"

"What are we doing now?" Tak asked, somehow managing to keep up.

"Getting off of this ship…with the fucked up androids and annoying pirate guys, I'm sure this place will be a hellhole soon," Gaz said, leading them to the loading bay.

"Not while I'm here!" A strange man said, coming from around the corner. The man looked like an android, but a full metal one where the bolts and screws were visible.

One blast from Tak's gun put him down for the count. Dib wondered how Tak was managing the gun and Miz at the same time. "We don't have time for this shit," Gaz grumbled. After a few more tense minutes, they came to the loading bay to see the perfectly sized vessel for escaping.

As the neared it, Dib wondered where Nikki was and if she would get off the ship all right. He felt sort of sorry for her, she reminded him of Gir. Without warning the entire place began to flood with Meekrob, all of whom planned to capture them. "Tak, get in the vessel, now!" Gaz yelled, started to panic. Not for Tak's sake, but the child in Tak's care.

One Meekrob got too close and almost attacked Skoodge, who started to wrestle the Meekrob's weapon away from him. Gaz attempted to get one of their weapons, not having any on her. Zim joined Gaz in her fight as Dib made sure Tak and Miz were okay.

"Having fun?" A loud, booming voice asked. Everyone looked to see Kaito standing on top of some sort of Meekrob vehicle. "I thought you might be."

"Go back to hell!" Gaz yelled out of anger and desperation, struggling against the Meekrob next to her.

"I'd love to," Kaito answered, grinning, "But I'm afraid I have some work to finish first. I want you all to know that I am now your Master! And you will address me as such! And you mentioned I wasn't an android, and I'm not. I'm happy to announce I'm a Time-Lord, one of the last, in fact." Kaito laughed as Skoodge got knocked on his butt.

"I plan to hand you all over to the Meekrob," Kaito told them, gleefully, "And they'll pay me well for this." He gleamed at the Meekrob around him, as if threatening to harm them if the deal fell through.

"What's this got to do with the pirates?" Skoodge asked, not seeing where everything connected.

"Nothing, actually. Random coincidence, don't you just love when things don't make sense like that?" Kaito asked.

Gaz finally got the weapon away from the Meekrob and shot him with his own gun. "Dib, stay in the ship! Don't let Miz get hurt!" Gaz ordered. Dib ducked back in the vessel as Gaz began shooting more people. One of the Meekrob soldiers shot white stuff out at Skoodge that hardened and binded him, leaving him useless on the ground.

"There's nothing you can do," Kaito jested from above. As he said so, Gaz was attacked and covered in hardening white gunk.

"Zim. Ship! Escape!" Gaz ordered as well as she could.

"Got it!" He yelled, running back up to the ship. He got inside and started up the engines. Dib wondered why he was starting to leave when Gaz wasn't on the ship. He picked up Gaz's gun and went to the still-open door.

Outside the front shield, Zim could see Kaito grinning at them, even though they were getting away. Just then, it occurred to him that he left the door open. "Dib, keep away from the door and windows! They'll probably try shooting at us!" But just after he said that, he heard a loud shot sound and Tak screaming, then a thud on the floor.

Zim kept them going out of the ship and set an automatic course for some planet he chose at random, then ran back to where Dib was. The floor was a bloody mess…so was Dib.

Stupid, stupid for leaving the door open. For expecting Dib to just sit back while they took his sister hostage. Tak was on top of him, trying to stop the bleeding, pleading with Dib not to die. But all Zim could do was stand there and wonder why Dib was the one to get hurt. It should have been Zim or Tak, they could take it much better. So…why him.

Miz's cries brought him out of his trance. The kid was sitting on the bench nearby, staring at the scene with confusing. It probably wondered where Gaz was. It's mother. Zim went to it and picked it up. A kid…Gaz left them in the small vessel with a kid and an injured human. How shitty was that?

So Zim sat on the bench with Miz, not touching him, and watched Tak. She seemed to be reverting to her old self slightly, the one that knew how to take charge and get a job done, anyway. She knew so much more about healing and human anatomy than Zim did, so he didn't even bother to let his emotions in right now, he couldn't afford to get all psycho and get in Tak's way.

…

Distractions…so many distractions. No wonder they said being Tallest was a cushy job, there were so many luscious things available, it was hard to focus. Kita tried to keep her goal in mind, but it was hard with all the sweets and pillows and servants. They really treated her well now, though she wondered why.

But…she kept reminders of her goal, such as the servants…their faces. Neither Tallest ever noticed, but all the servants had a look of utter misery and despair. Every time she looked at them, she remembered why she was there and what she planned to do. She was getting closer and closer, earning their trust this way. Her big, final plan…to kill the Tallest…

…

…

…

…

Kita said it, folks, distractions. Spring is a bad time for fanfics, so much going on. I graduate high school in two weeks (is scared .) I think I sense summer around the corner :D I'll be giving this a lot more attention now that my finals are over.

I hope you guys liked this chapter, cause I loved writing it!

Much more of Kita in the next chapter, and lots of Dib and Zim stuff 3 See ya guys later


	4. Persistence

Chapter Four: Persistence  
Warning: Flagrant cursing. (...I just wanted to say flagrant...lol)

"I'll never tell you a goddamned thing!" Gaz yelled. Two Meekrob held arms against her back, forcing her to sit on the floor.

"No, I don't expect you will," Kaito said with a frown. "What do I have to do to make you sing?"

"Play the right kind of music," Gaz said with a smile. Kaito nodded, but his expression didn't change. "And what will I have to do to make you smile?" Gaz asked, grinning up at him.

"Tell the right kind of joke," Kaito muttered as he left the room. Even after he left, Gaz was still smiling. The guards gathered her up and transported her to some cell, and she was still smiling.

…

The huge stain on the floor wasn't going away, and it never would if Zim only stared at it. But he didn't want to be near it. Across the small room, Tak was tending to Miz again. Damn child was so needy. Dib lay on the floor near him, but Zim refused to look. Was that why Dib wouldn't look at him when_ he'd_ fallen? Hesitantly, Zim turned to Dib and let the painful details soak in.

Honestly, it wasn't so bad. They'd got him in the shoulder, and Tak helped him before he lost too much blood. Zim got up and inched towards Dib until he was right next to him. His face was still pale and sweaty, and he made an almost pained expression, but he was still favorable to look at. Zim was very thankful that they found heavy pain killers aboard, or else this would have been so much harder.

Silently, Tak finished and went to the navigation panel, which was in the only other room of the vessel, leaving Zim alone with Dib. He clutched Dib's hand and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. If Dib died…where would all his Dib-like things go? All that information couldn't just…disappear, could it? Did that mean there was that heaven thing humans always talked about? Damn it, and he couldn't ask Dib for the answers right now.

Another silly human belief was that there was a man in the clouds who watched people. But Zim had been in those skies, and there was no magical person there, or in space. How could there be a person there but not there? Human ideas never made sense.

"Zim?" Tak called.

"What?" Zim said gruffly.

"Come sit with me," She whined. Zim moaned and gazed at Dib longingly. He would have ignored her and stayed with Dib, but Tak's wrath wasn't something he wanted to invoke. So he slowly let go of Dib and went to the next room where Tak sat in the co-pilot seat with Miz sleeping in her arms. Zim sat next to her and stared at space, waiting for Tak to mention whatever it was she wanted.

"Do you ever wish you could forget?" Tak asked quietly. Zim glance over at Tak as she stared out the window.

"…Forget what?" Zim asked, not thinking deeply about Tak's question.

"You know what, asshole," Tak muttered. Zim gave it more thought and realized what she meant.

"Oh…" A comet passed them, just barely visible. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Me too, I'm tired of fighting," Tak sighed. She brought Miz closer to herself. "What are we gonna do, Zim?"

"I dunno…I'm tired of it, too," Zim mumbled, hugging his knees to his chest. "They're not going to stop…we should just leave."

"We should," Tak agreed, "But Dib is so young…he would just run off, back towards the war. And we'd chase him…"

"Yeah, good point," Zim groaned. Dib really didn't understand how pointless fighting was, just like Zim and Tak never used to. "Dib would say he had to help Gaz and Earth or whatever. So going away wouldn't help at all."

"Which can only mean."

"We have to go back to Earth," Zim sighed. Tak nodded and looked at the stars sadly.

"I miss Skoodge," She said softly. Zim watched her, wondering if she felt the same as he did when Dib left, that aching hurt whenever he was apart from Dib. But he didn't ask, he didn't want to even think about it, now. "What do you think will happen to them?" Tak asked fearfully.

"I don't know." He knew exactly.

"I'm scared…" Tak whispered, her strength finally leaving her. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Uh-huh," Zim said, trying to think of the right thing to say in the current situation. "They're tough."

…

"Hello," Someone said beside her. Gaz turned her head to see the boy next to her, she recognized him as the gypsy boy from when she was reigning the Irkens. "How has your fate been?" He asked with a sadistic grin.

"…Shut up…" Gaz said with hardly any strength left.

"Did you remember what I told you?" Zayn asked.

"That I would die young," Gaz spat out.

"…Did you find him?" Zayn asked, seeming to ignore Gaz's glaring.

"What…Zim?" Gaz asked, thinking back to their meeting. Zayn nodded. "Yeah…I saved his ass…"

"Did it bring you happiness?" He asked.

"…" What was he getting at? "I guess so…" Then she really thought about it. If it weren't for meeting up with her brother and Zim, Miz might not have made it. Which would have caused her deeper anguish. If she'd never found them and lived with them…she would have been so unhappy. She also wouldn't have been caught by the Meekrob. But really…wasn't that a fair price for those few moments of happiness? "Yes, it did…I was happy…" Gaz said, finally realizing it.

For the first time since having Miz, Gaz found herself smiling with honest happiness. Even though she'd been so evil for so long, she'd finally done something right…she saved Zim and possibly Dib, too. And Miz would probably grow up to save the world from bad things, as long as Dib raised him right. She definitely owed them all a huge apology. When she got out of this she would have to beg for forgiveness big time.

Sitting back and ignoring Zayn's mumbled singing, Gaz thought about this situation. There wasn't much of a chance for her anymore. Sure, they'd let Skoodge off easy, maybe. But Gaz…treason, betrayal, everything else she'd done…. That couldn't be forgiven, not even the Meekrob would forgive her for this.

She hadn't done enough, yet. She bet Zim and Dib still hated her. The thought of it drove a stake through her chest. She'd tried to kill both of them, had manipulated them, broken them. She didn't blame them if they hated her. Their forgiveness was all she wanted now, but she doubted they would, anyway. Everyday after this, she would try to earn forgiveness. After she escaped anyway. Maybe Zayn and his gypsy abilities would come in handy here.

The door grated against the floor noisily when a guard came to get Gaz. Maybe Kaito wanted to play interview again? Who knew, but she was dragged down the hall to a small room with a large video camera. Kaito stood on one end of the room looking pleased with himself.

"We've figured out, Queen Gaz, that you have no information we want," Kaito said, grinning. "So we found an alternative use for you."

"Oh, and that would be to threaten me on TV to get what you want from Irk or something?" Gaz asked, rolling her eyes at the hackneyed idea. "What will you do, bruise me up? Hold a knife to my throat?"

"I was thinking something more permanent," Kaito said, the creepiest, most sadistic grin ever flashing to his face. Gaz's expression fell and she wished she'd never asked to see him smile.

…

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Zim asked, thinking about the last time he'd watched the news.

"Of course, it is!" Tak said, hooking up the last cable. "This will have tons of information and update us on current events!"

"I hope you're right," Zim muttered. They both watched as an image flickered onto the screen. They sat on the floor in front of the makeshift TV. Dib, finally awake, leaned against Zim.

For a while they simply watched some news station. Then an emergency broadcast was sent out_. "Hello, I'm Kaito, but it doesn't matter who I am. It matters who this girl I have here is,"_ The blue haired bastard on the screen pointed down at the girl at his feet. The camera panned to show her face and Dib gasped. It was Gaz, and she looked so miserable.

…

What the hell was Kaito up to? There was such malice in his eyes as he spoke to the camera. Gaz wondered who was watching right now, Dib? Maybe he was watching...if he made it out alive. Of course, he did. How could he not with two Irkens helping him? Yeah...Dib was fine.

"Now, you may be wondering, what is he going to ask in return for Gaz? What's the ransom?" Kaito said, practically glowing with his glee. "Well, surprise! There _is_ no ransom!"

…

"What the hell is he doing?" Tak asked, staring at the screen. Dib watched, horrified, afraid for his sister.

"I think I know..." Zim said gravely, looking away from the TV.

…

No ransom? What did that mean? "I will now take it upon myself to rid the world of this menace. She has played her little domination game for long enough," Kaito said darkly. All glee was gone and only malice remained. Gaz's eyes widened as she realized what he meant.

Kaito made a hand motion and someone handed him a very large knife. He stooped next to Gaz and grabbed her roughly by the hair, thrusting the knife under her throat, not quite piercing her skin, yet.

_Is this it? Am I really about to die? Everything in my life...has led up to this...? I...I'm sorry, Dib. I'm sorry, Zim... Miz...I'm sorry, I love you. _

Blood gushed onto the floor and all over Gaz and Kaito and ever where. Her life blood was spilled all over the place.

_I...I love all of you...all three of you...my...family..._

The pain was exponential. It was immense and profound...but it only lasted and moment. And then...there was darkness...and then...nothingness.

Blood stained Gaz's lips and they twisted into a cruel smile that would stay there longer than it should have.

…

"NOOOOO!" Dib yelled. "WHAT THE FUCK!" The yelling woke Miz up and he started to cry, too. Tak got Miz and held him and cried silently, not bothering to stop the tears flowing. As Dib tried to deal with the grief as best he could, Zim did his part and held onto him, also making sure he didn't accidentally hurt himself.

Obviously this would mean a lot to the countries and planets Gaz had ruled...but what did it mean to the people in this ship? Dib was heartbroken...and Tak seemed upset as well. There was no way Miz could know what was happening. What about him though? How did Zim feel about this event? After a moment he decided it could wait, he never knew his feelings. "We...We need to..." Dib gasped, "_Have_ to...get revenge!"

"...okay..." Zim said, not arguing, though he wanted to. He didn't understand familiar bonds...not as much as Dib did, anyway. If he'd had a sister...he may have wanted revenge as well... And Kaito was just a jackass...so he deserved whatever he got.

It felt like something was missing. A vital part was gone from them. They were all family...and an important limb had just been cut off. "Dib..." He looked up. "Gaz...she was my sister, too, wasn't she?" Zim asked, knowing the answer. Dib nodded sadly and inched closer to Zim.

"We're all family, Zim. It just took Gaz a while to see that," Dib said quietly, seeming to calm down some.

"...Do you think she ever did see it?" Zim asked, wondering what Gaz's thoughts had been as she died.

"...I'm sure she did," Dib said. Zim would have argued the logic in Dib's belief, but for once, it seemed inappropriate. So, Zim let Dib ignorantly belief that Gaz had thought something that Zim seriously doubted she would have realized. He had barely thought of it, himself.

…

There in a dark room stood Gaz. She was just as dominating as always. But suddenly the scene changed, and Gaz was a mere girl who liked being charge...she had a ring of blood staining her neck. "...We _are_ family," Gaz said, her voice hollow and empty, so devoid of any emotion.

"...I know..." Zim answered, wondering why she had to state it again.

"Because, you don't understand..." Gaz told him, knowing his thoughts.

Panic ripped through him. "G-Get out of my head! Don't read my thoughts!" Zim yelled, Gaz didn't even flinch, like she expected him to yell.

"I can't get out until the dream is over. And I'm not _reading_ your thoughts or listening to them, or whatever. I just know them, like how I know mine," Gaz explained. "And I _did_ expect you to yell. You overreact a lot."

"...Quit that," Zim complained.

"Whiner," Gaz grunted.

"Why are you here? You're dead..." Zim asked, wondering why she wasn't in whatever afterlife thing she believed in.

"I'm here to help you, dumbass," Gaz mumbled, "And I don't believe in an afterlife..."

"How are you here then?" Zim asked curiously.

"I don't know! Does it matter? I'm here to freaking help you, so quit asking so many God-damned questions," Gaz ordered. So Zim shut up and waited for Gaz to go on. "Our boy is in trouble, Zim," Gaz said gravely.

"Our boy...?" Zim echoed, wondering where she got that phrase from.

"Yes, Dib. He belongs to both of us, you know," Gaz explained.

"What kind of trouble..?" Zim asked, choosing not to argue and say that Dib was his alone. They were in the middle of a dead zone, where no other ships traveled.

"Not outside dangers," Gaz said, pointing to her head, "Inside dangers." Before he could ask what the fuck she meant, Gas dissipated., leaving behind a very confused Zim.

…

Why was everything always so horrible? How come bad things were constantly happening to them? It was like a curse, and no one was free from it! Especially Dib...bad things kept happening to his loved ones...everyone he loved...they were always dying. First his dad, then Zim, and Gaz, too. Zim hadn't died, but he sure did go through hell. His dad died because of all the shit Dib kept doing, He was the one who'd wanted to confront the Professor...and it was equally his fault that Kei followed them there...

Did he even need to start with Zim? They used to be mortal enemies, but even then, Dib wouldn't have willingly chosen to put Zim through all that he had. He'd been dissected...twice, and nearly died so many times. He'd loved Dib and lost him, while playing a sick game with death. That must have been an ultimate hell. Not that Dib hadn't suffered as well. But he merely loved Zim more than himself, so causing the alien pain was worse than being inflicted pain himself.

And Gaz...oh his poor sister. She'd lost everything. Dib wasn't sure what all Gaz had been through, and he was sure he didn't want to know. But at least some of it had to be caused by him. She'd grown to rule entire empires and had so much power. But she'd also been controlled by the Tallest, and impregnated with an alien child. Gaz had got to have a child...one that she loved, the only thing that she showed any emotion towards. And it was ripped away from her. Her entire life was ripped away. Because Dib had gone back into that fucking ship...and Gaz had gotten captured...which had lead to her eventual death.

And not to mention, Dib had killed several people a while back. So, death seemed to follow him now. It went wherever he did. Which was pretty messed up. Eventually...it was gonna hurt Zim and Miz, too. So...he had to leave, just had to get away. He glanced at the sleeping Zim, so innocent and vulnerable. He couldn't let the already disturbed Irken be touched further by death and chaos.

Getting up slowly, Dib went to the master control in the next room. Painfully, he shut the door, his shoulder still wounded despite the Irken medicines. He sat at the console and searched it for places to go. Several minutes into the searching he was interrupted by a squeak behind him. He turned and saw the door opening, a sleepy and surprised little Irken appearing. "What are you doing, Dib?" Zim asked, peeking his head in curiously.

"I'm leaving," Dib said, not turning around, "I have to go."

"Where do you think you'll go?" Zim asked, a bit darkly, coming to loom over Dib.

"Somewhere far away," Dib replied. Zim's shadow still hovered over him, and even seemed to darken.

"And why would that be?" Zim asked, his tone demanding and none too happy.

The tone made Dib stumble in his work, he was surprised to see how dominant Zim was being. Of course, he always used to be this way. "…I need to avenge Gaz," Dib said, which was a half-truth.

"We will, Dib. Tak is still tracing the signal to find Kaito. Don't worry, we'll kill this bastard," Zim said, lightening up a bit.

Now what could he say? "Zim…I still need to leave," Dib uttered, forcing himself through this. For a moment, they were both silent. "…Zim?" Dib turned around to see Zim glaring his worst at him.

"…You're not leaving," Zim stated.

"I need to," Dib whispered.

"Why?" Zim asked. When Dib didn't respond he tried again. "Give me one reason, one good reason, why I would let you leave this ship."

"Death…" Dib said, feeling chills at his sides. "It's gonna get us…it follows me, Zim. If I don't leave…It'll get you, too…"

When Dib looked up he saw Zim grinning. "Stupid human," Zim said, "Death can't follow people…except maybe in Final Destination…but death isn't following you."

"…You don't understand…everyone I love ends up dying," Dib explained, "…and you…you got so tortured…" Zim's grin went away, and Dib couldn't quite read his expression, it was mostly blank. "Dad died, Gaz died, we've both been hurt now…even Skoodge got captured…something's gonna happen…"

"Something _is_ gonna happen," Zim said strongly, "We're gonna get pay back for everything. Don't worry about me, and don't worry about yourself, I'll protect you." Zim smiled and a weird feeling came over him.

"Thanks…" Dib sighed.

"Whatever. Get some sleep, stupid," Zim ordered, "We've got a ton of work tomorrow."

…

…

…

Sort of happy ending :) :( maybe?

You know...I didn't realize it but...Miz backwards is Zim...lol

Okay. I'll be updating more frequently. High school is over, applying for college is over, and I have rediscovered sugar. :3 hells yeah. (flagrant cursing, what'd I tell ya?)

Oh also, sudden burst of creativity thanks to Invader Sideos :D my hero in the world of fanfiction. Plz R&R KthxBy!


	5. ReRun

Chapter Five: Rerun  
Warnings:...silly chapter :) very silly

The moment they touched down to the ground, Dib jumped out of the ship and seemed to hug the very Earth itself. To Zim, though, it looked like Dib merely tripped and fell flat on his face. "What, tired of space travel already?" Zim teased, stepping out after him.

"No, just getting away from _your_ bad driving," Dib commented, grinning.

"My driving isn't bad!" Zim yelled, playing with his projector and looking away.

"Is to."

"Is not."

"Is to."

"Is NOT."

"IS TO."

"IS NOT!"

"IS _TO_!"

"Shut the hell up or you're both doomed to change Miz's diapers forever!" Tak yelled, exiting the ship and stepped past them. Dib and Zim exchanged playful glares before following the disguised Tak. She had the same basic holograph she used to have, except for a few small changes.

"Hey, Tak, how come you're blonde now?" Dib asked curiously, staring at her.

"Yeah, and why are your hair thingies longer?" Zim asked, poking her hair.

"Hair thingies, Zim, really?" Dib asked, still questioning how well Zim retained information.

"YES, it's a technical term, I don't think you would know it," Zim said, trying to looked high and mighty.

"Sure…." Dib murmured, "Anyway, why the changes, Tak?"

Balancing a map and carrying a slightly disguised Miz, Tak looked over her shoulder at them and grinned. "Skoodge says I look good this way!" Tak announced.

"How would you guys know that? Unless you played around with the holograms…" Zim mumbled.

"It's called role-playing," Tak said, still smiling. Dib blushed, knowing where this would lead, but there was nothing he could do. "It's this thing humans do where they pretend to be other people!"

"Why?" Zim asked, "It doesn't make them any better than the pathetic little humans they already are." For some reason this made Tak giggle; then again, everything made her giggle, so not much surprise there.

"Well, see," Tak explained, "They do it before sex-"

"Can we not talk about this?" Dib asked, knowing that the two Irkens combined could talk about the most embarrassing things and not even realize it. The world would simply explode.

They both gave Dib a curious glance before continuing. "And it's supposed to heighten their senses or something," Tak said, looking at the map again. "Like pretending to be other, more exciting people, makes them have more pleasurable sex."

"Have you indulged in this, Tak?" Zim asked, only a scientific person like him could ask that with only innocent curiosity in mind.

She shrugged. "A little, Skoodge likes it a lot more." Dib covered his ears with his hands.

"Don't wanna hear this. Not gonna hear this. Am not hearing this!" He started chanting.

Again, neither paid him any mind. "Is it fun?" Zim asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, look, just the place I was looking for," Tak said, she pointed to a tall building with a glass front. Somewhere in Zim's mind, the place was familiar, but he couldn't remember what.

"Why are we here?" Dib asked, watching the aliens closely.

Tak smiled and wrapped her arm around Dib's much to his and Zim's disapproval; Tak nodded to Zim and he got the message. Walking slowly, he caught Dib's other arm. "Now, Dib. I know you want to go off and save the world, get revenge, and whatever," Tak said, smiling happily at the suspicious Dib, "But seriously, you're not doing anything until that arm of yours heals. Right, Zim?"

"Uh, sure," He said, not wanting to get doomed for not agreeing.

"Wait, so this is a…"

"Yup, it's the best hospital available," Tak said, leading them to the front doors. A huge red flag went up in Zim's mind.

"Oh yeah…." Zim mumbled, face palming. Of course, this was the place Inx and Skoodge had forced him into. He wondered if that idiot human was still there.

The face palming did not go unnoticed. "What's up, Zim?" Dib asked, momentarily ignoring Tak's tugging.

"N-Nothing…" It was better if Dib wasn't warned. It had been an annoying place to be when Zim was confined here, but now Dib was here, and he was the one being confined, not Zim. So, nothing to be worried over. Dib shrugged and went back to ignoring Tak.

The inside of the place was a lot bigger and shinier than Zim remembered, probably because half the time he was here he was drugged up or half-insane. "Hey, Zim…this place look…familiar at all?" Dib asked.

"Um, sort of," Zim answered. Dib kept looking around, like he was figuring something out.

"Hi!" Tak said loudly to the receptionist, "We're here to check in this guy, gun shot, technically laser shot. He was trying to be the hero, you know how boys are in the war and all. Oh and don't worry, he's human. So are we, by the way! All human. Did I mention he was being a hero? He got shot trying to save his sister and stuff. We're all human by the way…." The poor receptionist looked completely overwhelmed by Tak's hyperactive overload of information.

At the desk, Zim had a staring battle with the jar thing of pens. They were all mocking him, he just knew it. "Zim? Don't," Dib said softly, knowing Zim's intentions.

"But…"

"No…"

"Grr…"

"Rawr…"

"Oh. His name's Dib! Mine's Tak, which is a human name by the way!" Tak said, being worse at fitting in than Zim. Which was odd, usually she was the better invader. It must have been the pin in her pak making her act oddly.

Suddenly, ignoring everything else…Zim heard the fast click of heels on linoleum. This made another, bigger red flag pop up, but this time he remembered why. Hiding behind Dib, Zim hoped the passing doctor wouldn't spot him. "Who do we have here? Victim of war, huh?"

"Is that what it says?" Dib asked, Zim could pretty much feel heat coming off Dib. He wasn't a victim of anything.

Looking away from the clipboard, Doctor Cuddy looked towards Dib, taking in the sight of him. "Hey, who's that hiding behi-" She stopped mid-sentence as Dib stepped aside to reveal Zim, who waved nervously at Cuddy. "You, Sir, are in trouble."

"Zim? What'd you do?" Dib asked, peering at Zim, knowing he had to have done something bad before. He just hoped they wouldn't have to pay too much for it.

"Um…" Zim backed away lightly.

But at this small movement, Cuddy jumped at him, "Oh no! You're not running away again!" She said sternly, grabbing him by the shoulders. Dib sighed and held the bridge of his nose, of course Zim did something to these people.

"I'm not! I'm better now!" Zim said nervously.

"House! Get your ass down here!" Cuddy yelled, loudly. On the other side of the room, Tak still bored the receptionist to death, oblivious to the mild drama just a few feet away.

To Be Continued….

Nah, Just Kidding. Continued Right Now…

"What?" House called down, "Are we finally going to have sex on the front desk in front of all the employees like I asked? It's not Christmas yet, Cuddy."

"This is serious!" Cuddy yelled, her eyes practically lighting on fire, well, a dull fire.

Between the both of them, Zim had no idea what to say. "Um…I'm better now…"

"_Sure_ you are," Cuddy said, unbelievingly.

"I am!" Zim defended.

"He is," Dib added.

"What's going on?" House asked, appearing nearby.

"Our little runaway just came home," Cuddy told him, brandishing Zim in front of her.

House didn't move, or really react at all. "Cool beans," He said with faux enthusiasm.

"Beans? I like beans!" Tak said, off subject. The receptionist sighed in relief and quickly hid under the desk.

"Cute kid," House commented.

"Thanks, he's not mine," Tak said happily.

"Of course, he's not," House sighed indifferently. Tak walked over and noticed Cuddy had her hands on Zim.

Handing Miz over to Dib, Tak crossed her arms. "Get your hands off Zim, human," Tak growled.

"Human? You're human too, aren't you?" Cuddy asked, confused.

"Um, yeah. Of course, I am!" Tak said, getting distracted. "Yeah, we're all just human. It's what we all are, human, yup!"

"_Sure_, you are," House mumbled, eating a TikTak.

"Oh! Can I have one!" Tak said loudly.

"No," House said, staring at her.

"Oh. Okay. Hey, why are you touching, Zim?" Tak asked.

"Were you paying any attention at all?" Cuddy asked, loosening her grip on Zim. He had the impulse to run away, but knew that Cuddy would definitely lock him up somewhere if he did.

"No, I guess not," Tak admitted, blushing a little.

"Wow…that pin must have done more damage than I thought…" Zim mumbled to himself.

"Huh?" Tak asked.

"Nothing!" Zim said quickly.

"So why are you here?" House asked, staring at all three of them, now.

Tak and Zim both pointed at Dib noiselessly. "He's human," They said in unison.

"You know," Tak said, blushing, "Not that we're not human!"

"Cause we're totally human!" Zim said, covering as well.

"I mean, what else would we be?" Tak asked.

"Certainly not aliens!" Zim said. They both laughed nervously. Dib pinched the bridge of his nose again and wished this would just be over.

"Well…fine," Cuddy said, finally letting up and pulling her hands away from Zim. He quickly retreated to stand next to Dib. "You're in charge of them, and you'd better not screw this up!" Cuddy said, pointing at House. She picked up her clipboard, at which point House bent to look up her skirt, and she walked away, back to her other duties. House kept watching her butt as she left.

It suddenly got very quiet and very awkward. "Have fun since you were here?" House asked, just so it wouldn't be quiet.

"No, not really," Zim answered.

"Whatever," House said, he got himself another TikTak and started walking away. "Come with me if you want to live…" He said in a deep, creepy voice. "Just kidding, but really, come with me…if you do wanna live…oh. Guess I wasn't kidding." He laughed at himself a little as they followed him.

…

Pretending to be Gaz had never been so much fun, Kita found she could say anything she wanted to her leaders and they actually liked it. "And is this game supposed to be…this awkward?" She asked.

"I think so…" Purple mumbled, spinning the little decider thing.

"It says your left hand has to touch the red spot," Red informed, laughing at Purple's bad luck.

"Aww, dangit," Purple sighed, stretching to reach the little circle. Kita giggled. From the back of her mind she remembered that she had a mission, that these two had to go down. And then Purple fell and brought Red down with him. Kita remained standing. She giggled, okay, the mission could wait 'til later.

"I win again. This human game 'Twister' is very amusing," Kita said, giggling. "I WIN _stupid heads_!" They both grinned at her and blushed. Sure,they made her life a living hell, but hey, who could stay mad at those faces?

…

It didn't matter that Dib wasn't complaining, they'd filled him with feel-good drugs before coming. But he knew on the inside...he was scared. Sure, he was playing with the TV remote and flipping aimlessly through channels...but on the inside...he was quacking. Just shaking with fear while laying back easily in the hospital room. Or Zim was paranoid and thinking Dib was more hurt than he actually was. Technically...he had two laser burns. The one on his shoulder that was still pretty raw, and then the one from when Zim had shot him in the leg, thinking Dib was a delusion, and that one was almost healed.

Oh, the remarks that were made when that wound was explained. Zim threw House the most vengeful glare he ever had before. They were both in Dib's room, why House was still there he didn't know. "Oh, burn, ouch, that hurts. Don't you think I built up an immunity to your glaring when you were here before? It was like glaring was the only thing you were capable of," House said snidely.

"Well, now that the _Irkens_ fixed me, I'm capable of way _more _than that!" Zim shot at him, attempting to threaten him.

"Oh, like what? Keep in mind, your little boyfriend needs me around, so don't go hurting people with that piercing glare of yours," House said sarcastically, ignoring the Irken comment. Dib ignored them both, choosing not to argue with them.

"ZIM!" Someone screeched down the hallway, and for once it wasn't Gir. They all looked to see a sweet innocent looking girl running down the hallway.

"Inx?" Zim asked, just before she smacked into him, forcing him to the ground in a hug. "Yup…you're Inx."

"Inx?" Dib echoed, leaning over to see her on the floor. "I haven't seen you in so long! What's up?"

"What's up is that I missed you guys like crazy, and this _stupid _Irken Invader _left_ and DIDN'T CALL ME!" Inx glared daggers at Zim while practically throttling him. As Zim tried to explain why he shouldn't be killed…again…House and Dib laughed at his expense until Inx lost her steam and returned to hugging.

"Cute girl," House commented, "That stupid...other Irken left her here when he took his little army somewhere...I don't know. Point is, she's been hanging around here. But now _you guys_ can take her with you."

"Zimmeh..." Inx mumbled, hugging him more. Zim growled, but to no avail, she just rubbed her face against his.

"...That's cute..." Dib pulled out his cell phone and took a couple quick pictures of the scene.

"HEY!" Zim yelled, seeing what Dib did.

"I can't help it, I need _some_ incriminating evidence," Dib laughed.

"Pff..."

…

SOMEWHERE DEEP IN SPACE WHERE NO ONE REALLY CARES TO LOOK

"Master, all upgrades completed. All capacitors running at full capacity," The computer stated, matter-of-factly.

A giant pod in the middle of the room slowly began to open. A small bit of mysterious fog started rising for no apparent reason. "Good…I have long awaited this day…" A very lean man stepped out of the pod, as if awakening from a long slumber. "I have long awaited the day that some sort of technology would be able to shake the bloody time-space continuum and free me from the trapped Gallifrey."

"What should we do now, Master?" The computer asked.

"Now?" The creature stepped forth into the world and set it's eyes on its surroundings. "Now we conquer."

"You sound like an Irken…" The computer murmured quietly. The creature only laughed at such a comment.

"To you, I would," It said.

"What are your orders, sir?"

"My orders? Hm, let's see. How about Earth? Dandy little planet, last I saw," The creature stated, beginning to pace. "So…interesting…" It began to tap now, a four-beat rhythm. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap. It drove the computer unit mad. "We will go there…cause some mayhem, maybe become Prime Minister again, and find The Doctor…I will show him who is Master…" The creature grinned and flipped off the picture of Earth on the computer screen. Internally, the Computer sighed, this guy really seemed Irken, even if he was a Time Lord.

…

"DiiiiiiIIIiiiiiIIiib," Zim hissed, crouching on the floor, just out of Dib's view over the side of the bed.

"Huh?" Dib called out, disoriented. The drugs in his system made him very fun play with, Zim discovered.

"I want you to do something DiiiiIIiiiB," Zim called, silently moving around the bed to make it seem like the sound was coming from all directions.

"Wh-What is it..?" Dib asked, voice laced with fear.

"I want you...to write a...a..."

"A what?"

"A bad romance..." That day while Dib was sleeping, Zim had also listened to Lady Gaga.

"Why?" Dib asked.

"Because...we're caught in one..." Zim hissed playfully, "DiiiIIiiIiiIB, I want your love...and your lover's revenge..."

"N-No!" Dib cried out, taking Zim by surprise, "I-I...I have a lover...and he's not a ghost!" Zim internally laughed at the ghost thing, and beamed at Dib's loyal response. "Bring back Zim, you bastard!" Dib yelled.

"Okay, just close your eyes and he will appear," Zim called out in a deep vocie.

"O-Okay..." Zim heard Dib move and decided game time was over.

When he rose over the edge of the bed to end the game, he caught sight of someone in the doorway. "You're sick, you know," House told him, watching lethargically.

"I don't care..." Zim said, climbing over the edge of the bed to sit with Dib, who was very happy that his Zim was back. House shrugged. "How long were you watching, anyway?"

"Long enough to see how evil you are..." House commented.

"Whatever," Zim grunted, not caring now, he was in Dib's arms, annoying House didn't matter.

"Oh yeah, Zim, someone's here to see y'a," House said, like he just remembered, and an old face appeared.

"Hey, Zim...Dib."

…

"Are you sure?" Kaito asked. His usual frown was on his face as he looked at the lowly gypsy.

"Yes, yes. I did it myself...can I please come back?" Nikki asked.

"Depends...little girl," Kaito said darkly, "Can you do the proper work?"

"Yes," She replied. The light reflected off her golden earrings brightly.

"Can you do it properly?" Kaito asked.

"Yes!" She answered desperately. "I even poisoned him! His body was out of whack for a while, but it's implanted in him now."

"Good," Kaito said, "You finally did something right." Nikki's eyes shone with hope that she would be spared. "But still..." And that hope dulled. "I'm giving you a partner, someone we fished out of the Irken Empire prison, just for this assignment."

"The prophesy must be fulfilled," He said at the other side of the room.

"Oh no, I am not working with him," Nikki denied.

"You heard him, the prophecy has to be fulfilled," Kaito said, starting to grin, "Do you wish to upset the balance...do you really want to meet The Enders...?" Chills visibly went down Nikki's back and she fell to her knees.

"N-No...Please...No...I'll work with him...we'll fulfill the prophesy..." Nikki said, half-pleading.

"Great," The gypsy said happily, grinning, "So good to see you again...sister."

Nikki made a sarcastic face at Zayn and pretended he was someone else.

"I trust that you two will get the job done,"Kaito said, smiling at the gypsy siblings. "Zayn, with your knowledge of every possible future and past. And Nikki, with your...curse abilities...?"

"Hell yeah!" Nikki burst energetically.

"Then why don't you ever curse your enemies, like Zim or Dib, or Gaz...?" Kaito asked, thinking her stupid for not using her gift.

"Cursing people makes my nose itch..." Nikki mumbled, scratching her nose lightly.

"Of course..." Kaito murmured, resisting the urge to face-palm. The gypsy boy in the corner remained silent and smiling, entertained by whatever visions of the future he was seeing at the moment. He looked at Nikki and grinned evilly.

…

"So..." Dib mumbled.

"Uh-huh..." Zim sighed.

"This is nice..." Dib breathed with ease.

"Uh-huh..."

"Why did we never do this before...?" Dib asked.

"Uh-huh..."

"...Zim?" Dib asked, turning to see Zim in a luxurious state.

"Uh-huh..."

"Yeah..."

"Uh-huh..."

"MmHmm..." Dib agreed.

"You guys are so stupid..." Inx mumbled, watching them with interest.

"It's like they've never heard of a vibrating bed before..." House commented, eating some popcorn.

"I know, right..."

"...are you sure they didn't do something else while they were here...?" House asked, implying something.

"I'm sure...I've been watching," Inx said, stealing some of House's popcorn.

They'd shown the bed to them in the hopes it would keep Zim from messing around and being loud. And it had worked...they'd been occupied for ages...just laying there. "If only there was something to keep _you_ busy, now..." House mumbled.

But Inx didn't take offense. "Yeah," She sighed in agreement.

"HI!" Tak yelled, suddenly appearing behind them. Inx jumped, but House didn't appear to react at all.

"Why am I suddenly being followed by aliens...?" House asked no one in particular.

"Have you guys seen my giant, poisonous, three-headed spider monkey anywhere?" Tak asked innocently.

"What?" Inx said in a very high voice, suddenly freaked out.

"No," House said in monotone, not caring, "Now stop following me."

"I'm just kidding, silly! There is no spider!" Tak said, Inx looked relieved.

"And I was so worried..." House said. Does the sarcasm need to be explained?

"Aw, well, don't be worried, Housey. Everything's okay," Tak said, rubbing up against House, who looked away and frowned more than usual. Inx giggled at the nickname.

"Sure, now get away from me...and stop following me..." House grunted.

"Dib?" Zim asked, finally speaking in words.

"Uh-huh?"

"...Why are strange people watching us?"

"They're not strangers...we know those people..."

"They're still strange...they're still watching us..." Zim pointed out.

"Good points...then, I don't know why..." Dib said.

"If we start to have sex, do you think they'll go away?" Zim asked. They lost House right then and right there, he just walked off.

"Maybe," Dib said, "It will have to have a lot of violence and whips and chains..." Inx blushed and ran out of the room to find Mini-Moose.

"And maybe then we'll...we'll...Hell, Tak, what would make _you_ leave the room?" Zim asked.

"Wanna just join in the massage bed thingy?" Dib asked, almost in a groan.

"Sure!" Tak said, climbing on the bed that had more than enough room for all three of them.

…

…

...

whether there was a threesom on the vibrating bed, or they merely enjoyed a massage, I leave that up to you, trustworthy readers.

The Master is one of my favorite character ever...I have absolutely no idea where he will come into the plot, but I had to include him. He'll make his own way.

Also...I remembered stuff! Ironic,seeing as it was very late at night whenever I worked on this...lol R&R thank you!

PS. Princess-Of-Your-Doom95 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I just got done writing this chapter when I read your comment. Just in the nick of time, eh? Yeah, well, hope this is on (or near) your birthday, Zim wishes you many more happy moon cycles :) sixteen, such a cool year, have fun, drive safe, Peace XD


	6. Darkness

Chapter Six: Darkness

Warning: somewhat sad and contains a character with no name but is constantly mentioned. A certain 'c' word is said once, it's a bad word, but used appropriately, I think.

For no reason at all, the healing process hurt more than when he'd been injured. This little fact only proved to frustrate Dib more, which in turn, frustrated Zim as well. It was good that he'd sent Zim away on an impossible task while one of House's many doctors poked at Dib. He just wished he hadn't underestimated Tak's power of annoyance. "What's your name?" She chirped, leaning on top of the doctor, who was currently leaned over Dib's back.

"...Please, get off of me..." The poor man sighed, he'd been somewhat briefed on this one, and she was confirming what he'd been told. "I'm trying to concentrate..."

"Tak, back off," Dib ordered. But Tak started singing her happy song instead. "Sorry about her..." Dib apologized to him. Strangely, Tak's mental state simply kept decreasing. Maybe it was because of Skoodge's absence.

That had him worrying about Skoodge. They knew what happened to Gaz, but they never heard anything about Skoodge... Dib hoped for both Skoodge and Tak's sake that he was alright.

...

It hadn't stormed like this in a long time, to Zim anyway. The rain formed rivers out of the small streets, seeming like a bad omen. Zim hoped it wasn't. Lightning streaked the sky, reminding him of better times. He was safely feet away from the onslaught of poison water, perched on a bench far under an overhanging. He could just make out the sound of his keyboard as he typed commands. He'd ditched the stupid little errands Dib wanted him to do, taking the opportunity to do something he didn't want humans watching. Or Tak for that matter.

Even if he was currently grounded to Earth...he wouldn't let that Kaito bastard get away with what he'd done. Defeating Kaito would probably be harder than taking over Earth...which Zim hadn't done either. Gaz had taken over Earth...as well as several other planets, including his own home of Irk.

...but she wasn't there anymore. They'd lost a major player now. ...And Skoodge...but did that really matter? Maybe for Tak's sanity it did. But Zim wasn't about to go on a crazy mission to get the idiot back.

Another defense firewall was hit and Zim growled in frustration. The sounds of falling acid nearby didn't help his concentration. He could find a place inside...but he knew Tak would somehow find him. She always did...like Gir...thinking of him, where had that little dookie run off to, anyway?

…

Somewhere In Another Galaxy:

It had been several hours now...but the little bugger wouldn't leave... "Wanna be friends wid de pancakes...PLEASE?" Gir shouted again.

"No!" The alien yelled, beginning to lose his mind...again.

"W-Why...not?" Gir asked, about to cry. The alien looked up from the ground to the little android sitting a foot away.

"Because you're friends are somewhere else...probably enjoying life..." The alien replied.

Gir deadpanned and stared at the alien for a good five minutes. "Oh yeeeeaaaahhhh..." Gir said loudly. The poor alien sighed. "Wonder where theyz went..."

"...Away from you, apparently..." The alien mumbled, but Gir didn't hear him.

"Hey yous!" Gir yelled, pointing at the alien. "Wanna be friends?"

…

We Now Return To Our Regularly scheduled Program:

"Flirking Blorch..." Zim cursed under his breath for the millionth time. It had been darn near impossible to get past all the firewalls...now that he was in the system, viruses were attacking out of nowhere! A complete system failure was exactly what he needed...

So wrapped up in what was going on in the computer world, Zim didn't realize that something bright green and fuzzy had just dropped out of the sky and landed with a squeak on the pavement. The green fuzzball scratched its head before heading over to Zim's side. "MASTER! I missded youuuuu!" Gir screamed loudly, making Zim loose his concentration, causing a system-wide failure on his laptop...technically Dib's laptop.

"Gir! What the flirk!" Zim yelled. Then he realized he hadn't seen Gir in what seemed like decades. "Where have you been...?" He asked, honestly curious.

"...Around..." Gir mumbled, pulling a Suck Monkey out of his doggy suit and sucking on it noisily.

"...Um...yeah." Zim looked back at the computer and decided to give up for the moment. Maybe Dib would have better luck...having already had practice hacking into Zim's programs. "...You didn't miss me..." Zim mumbled, Gir's sentence finally registering in his mind.

The drink fell from Gir's hands and spilled all over the pavement, Zim was so thankful his feet were on the bench and not the nasty pavement below. "YES I DID!" Gir yelled, jumping up onto Zim's head and attaching himself there. "I missded you SO MUCH!" This is when Gir started to cry. Not even trying to remove Gir, Zim sighed.

"...Okay...you missed me...I guess," Zim said, wishing Gir would let go on his own.

"I...I-I loves you, Master..." Gir mumbled.

"Master...?" Zim echoed. Gir hadn't called Zim that since before the Gaz took over earth. Suddenly, Zim was content to let Gir be attached to his head as long as he wanted.

…

"Ow…" Dib muttered lamely. Pain was slowly shooting through his whole shoulder, spreading to his back and arm. He thought with the doctor behind him the pain would be receding…. "Hey…that's really starting to hurt," Dib said, turning to look at the blonde doctor.

Another twinge of pain went down his spine. "Oh…_so _sorry…" The doctor said with a weird edge to his voice, making Dib hesitate. He'd almost sounded sarcastic. Shadows covered the man's eyes, making his expression hard to read. "…you should get used to it…you alien-snogging _bastard_," He hissed in Dib's ear.

"W-What?" Dib gasped, he thought House was the only one who knew about Zim.

"You heard me...I hope you like pain...The Meekrob have lots of it in store for you," The man said darkly, no longer hiding his malice.

"The Meekrob?" Dib echoed in fear, he suddenly hoped desperately that Zim was somewhere safe, not even thinking of himself. He'd sent Tak away to the ship with Miz after a few more minutes of annoyance, so they were probably safe.

"The prophesy has to be fulfilled," The man behind him whispered darkly. With more strength than he thought he had, Dib threw the man backwards off of him and leapt off the bed, nearly falling off in the process. But he somehow stuck the landing and took off at full speed down the hall, away from the creepy man. He ignored the pain and just focused on finding Inx, or House, or someone who would know what was going on.

OUTSIDE

A huge thud sounded from the door, surprising Gir into falling from Zim's head. "Huh?" Zim walked over to the door and pushed the handle. "-The flirk.."

"Wassat?" Gir asked from the concrete where he'd fallen. Zim looked back at the fallen dog. How could anyone mistake the little guy for a dog, anyway? Especially since the Meekrob had come...

"Gir, open this door," Zim ordered. Under the green dog hood Gir's eyes glowed red for a moment as he saluted.

"Yes, My Master," He said in monotone before flying straight into the large metals doors, landing with a shriek on the concrete once more.

So...even the destructive Gir couldn't break through these doors. Zim did a quick look around to see if anyone was watching before several spider limbs came flying out of his pak to shoot lasers at the doors and stab at them violently. At the end of it they retracted as Zim lightly panted. The doors didn't even have a scratch. "GraaaaaGHHHHH!""

Gir covered his doggy ears as he heard every known Irken curse there was. His ears were still covered when Zim plopped down hopelessly next to him. It was still raining heavily and there weren't any windows into the building under the overhanging. So no way into the building. They were stuck there on the small section of concrete.

"Soooo..." Zim breathed out as he hugged his knees, "Have fun in space?"

"I made friends with a mongoose!" Gir shouted.

"...'course you did..." Zim mumbled.

…

Running through the halls was getting tiring, but at least he thought he was on the right track. Follow the signs. Dib kept repeating the mantra. Eventually it led him to a small glass room with an office next to it. Dib stopped to catch his breath before going in.

There he was, sitting at his desk playing with a tennis ball in one hand, holding the cane in the other. "House...Dr. House," Dib mumbled, not sure exactly what to say, just coming out with it. "What the hell, man? That other guy you sent in earlier...he started saying weird things...like about the prophesy..." Dib stopped talking because of the strange look House was giving.

"Did he, now?" House asked sarcastically. "Maybe that's because...I told him to..."

"You...what?" Dib said stumbling a step backwards.

The atmosphere turned a little colder as Dib began to catch onto what was going on. "The Meekrob _really_ want you, Dib. They're only trying to help us here on Earth..." House muttered, "They're on our side...why can't you see that?"

Chills went up Dib's spine at House's words. "Because...I love a certain alien and I don't think he's allowed on the Meekrob side," Dib said strongly.

A deep resonating laugh erupted from House. "That little moron? Look...the decision is easy, the fate of the Meekrob, Earth and the Universe in general...or that weird little outcast who probably doesn't even know what love is."

"You're right," Dib whispered, "It is easy. I chose Zim a long time ago." The response had House growling and clutching the tennis ball tightly.

"Wrong choice," House said angrily, "Not like it's up to you, anyway. The Meekrob know where you are now, you're trapped." He grinned and bounced the tennis ball against the floor lazily.

"Where's Zim?" Dib asked quickly, ready to bolt.

"How should I know?" House asked, turning from malicious to lethargic. "He probably ran off somewhere."

Backing away, Dib flung a few choice words and pelted out of the room to find Zim...or at least someone on his side.

…

How much longer would he last? The singing had been going on for so long. "Do you like tacos? Cause I like tacos!" Gir sang off-key.

"...Shut...up...Gir," Zim grated out. He was curled up beside the bench, staring out at the waves of poison crashing down outside.

"TACOS!" A taco suddenly popped out of Gir's head and slammed right into the metal doors, causing them the swing open and remain open.

"...Seriously...Really...What?" Zim face-palmed before striding through the doors proudly as though he had been the one to open them. "Come on, Gir."

"Woo hoo!" Gir yelled.

"Gir! Quiet!" Zim yelled, somehow louder than Gir.

…

There was something to go on, yelling. Not much, but enough for Dib to guess who it was. But it sounded lower, on the first level. Here he was on the third. It seemed like all the elevators were blocked and every stairwell he found had locked doors.

Most of the rooms he passed were empty or else had closed doors. But one struck him as eerie. The door was cracked open and a muffled whimpering could be heard. Dib stopped and merely listened a moment. It sounded so familiar somehow.

He eased the door open bit by bit and made his way across the room. The first bed was empty and all made up, a curtain surrounded the next space. Rather than pull the curtain aside in one sweep Dib walked around. Tension building as the whimpering grew louder and more desperate as the sounds of Dib's footfalls came closer.

Finally rounding the edge of the curtain, Dib nearly threw up at what he saw. Light green blood everywhere from cuts that still oozed. Inx had been gagged and bound to the bed with white cloths. Tears ran down from her misty gray eyes and her antennae were limp in front of her. Her eyes widened and she tried to speak through the gag.

"Oh, God...Inx..." Dib whispered, holding his mouth and trying to will the nausea away. As Dib watched on, too shocked to move, Inx seemed to be shaking her head rapidly at something behind Dib.

He managed to turn just as something smashed into the back of his head. It still bloody hurt, but it didn't knock him out now. It was the blonde doctor again, with the ruins of a lamp in hand. "Dirty piece of shit," The doctor hissed in anger.

"Shut up...ass hole," Dib hissed back. "What the hell have you done to Inx?"

"Something that has always needed to be done..." He said sullenly, taking a broken piece of lamp glass in his hand. Dib edged away, having no weapon.

"...You're sick," Dib said, "She's just a little girl...How can you do this...?"

"You're the one snogging these...disgusting creatures," He said, motioning to Inx. "They deserve this..." The strange doctor came at Dib, aiming straight for his middle, but Dib dodged easily. Or not...a chunk of glass from the lamp sliced into Dib's bare foot, making him cry out in pain and nearly fall. But he caught himself on a table nearby.

The sudden increase in whimpering caught Dib's attention and he noticed how much closer the doctor was to Inx. "Get the hell away from her," Dib said darkly. The doctor grinned and stepped closer, making her cry more.

"Make me..." He said, holding the piece of glass close to Inx.

Dib made to jump at the doctor, but something strong latched onto his arms, holding him back. Thick vines from a pot on the table encircled him, keeping him from moving. "Leave her alone!" Dib yelled, not believing what he was seeing.

The doctor only smiled more and crept closer. "Shh, it'll only hurt a little longer...Trust me, I'm a doctor..." The creepy blonde brought the makeshift weapon up to Inx's neck. Suddenly an old image arose, one of Rin bleeding out and dying, singing her last words to him. An image of Gaz kneeling in front of a madman…

"...shit..." He whispered hollowly. "GET OFF HER you _bastard_!" Dib yelled louder than before.

The whimpering suddenly stopped and it seemed like time froze. Through bleary, misted eyes Dib saw much more blood spilled, leaking over the edge and onto the off-white floor. Her eyes fell half-closed, staring at nothing anymore.

The vines loosened their hold and Dib bolted from the room, not even chancing to glance at the apparently insane doctor.

…

Hospital maps never made any sense at all. A rambling Gir didn't help. And no one was around to tell him what the hell was going on. The elevator he took down wasn't working and the stairs were apparently not in order either, since the doors wouldn't open.

Looking at another blocked elevator, Gir's singing was enough. "Screw this shit..." Without even looking this time, a pak claw dove into the metal elevator door, prying it open. "come on, Gir," He said happily, walking right through the malfunctioning doors. Gir flew in and hit the opposite side. This didn't seem to deter Zim at all as he shoved a pak leg through the elevator panel to make it work.

Gir busied himself with singing the doom song while they went up. It was the third floor, where on the third floor...Zim didn't know, but he knew the floor, and that was good enough for the moment.

Upon stepping out the air felt weird...colder than the first floor. The entire place was cold, but this was colder than usual. He brushed it off and started walking down the hall like he knew where he was going. "Where you goin?" Gir asked, pausing in the doom song.

"To get Dib, duh," Zim said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh!" … "Where he at?" Gir asked in pure curiosity. Zim stopped in his tracks to stare at Gir.

"I...don't know..." Zim admitted and kept walking.

Something hard crashed into the back of Zim, nearly knocking him over completely, but he managed to stay upright. "-the flirt…?" Whatever it had been was struggling to stay up, too. That was when he caught the scent of blood, not just Human but Irken as well.

Looking up, the Irken received a shock, like an electrical jolt. He'd never seen Dib so disheveled. "Dib? Dib, what the flirk is going on?" Said boy looked down at him like he just realized Zim was even there.

"Z-Zim..." Dib gasped, his tear and sweat streaked face making him look like shit. "We-We've gotta get out of here...now!"

Normally the Irken would have stalled and bothered the human for details, but the desperation on Dib's face made him think twice. Immediately he took hold of Dib's wrist and lead him to the same elevator Zim had just used. He made sure to snag Gir up by one doggy ear along the way.

One inside the small metal box, Zim let Dib lean against him completely. The smell of blood had him looking down to the boy's bloodied foot, wondering what the hell happened to him. "Explain. Now," Zim commanded.

"The Meekrob...House gave us up to them, we're caught," Dib said breathlessly. Zim tensed up. "...That's what House said anyway..."

"Where's Tak?" Zim asked, knowing if she was like Gir now there was no telling where she'd wander off to. Still being held up by one ear, Gir began to softly hum the doom song to himself, going unnoticed by either of the others.

Glancing once at the Pak leg impaling the wall, Dib ignored his curiosity at the action. "In the ship with Miz," Dib answered.

"Good," Zim grunted, glad that they didn't have to search the two of them down. "What about Inx? It wouldn't do to forget her again," Zim said, remembering when Inx first saw him return, how upset she'd been.

"...Forget her..." Dib mumbled darkly. The Irken gave Dib a questioning glance. "She's...gone...we can't get her back..." Suddenly, Zim was reminded of the smell of Irken blood, but decided to get his answers later in the safety of the ship. The doors opened and they were confronted with a horrible moaning and rank, burned smell. Something much like dookie.

"-the flirk..." Zim breathed and he inched out of the metal contraption, his pak leg not quite leaving the wall just yet. The halls had dimmed considerable, several lights flickering in and out. The moaning came from down the hall, away from where Zim had come from. "Can you read maps?" Zim asked quickly.

"Better than you," Dib grunted, trying to keep balance as Zim leaned away from him. Without thinking, Zim picked a hospital map from his pak and tossed it at the human, not looking to see if he caught it.

"Better read quickly," Zim mumbled, catching Dib's hand and running out of the elevator, carrying Gir under his arm for the time being. Rotating between singing and humming, the Sir Unit assumed they were going on a ride.

Having caught the map but not getting enough time to properly open and study it, Dib struggled to make out the words as he did his best to keep up with Zim. That damn glass shard wasn't helping matters in the least. Seeing something vaguely familiar, Dib pointed at an upcoming turn. "There!" He yelled.

Not pausing in the least, Zim took the turn and kept going, trusting Dib to read and run at the same time. The hall they'd taken ended with a large set of metal double doors with glass windows that had red smears streaking them. "I really don't think this is right..." Zim seethed, stopping in front of the doors.

"Um..." Dib inspected the small print more closer and realized he'd been reading the wrong level. He switched to the right map and saw the words 'Operating Room' clearly printed on the slot in front of them. "You're right...this isn't right..."

Giving an aggravated growl, Zim let Dib have a small bit of peace to scan the pathetic piece of paper and get the direction correct. The stains on the small windows made him both nervous and excited. Damn his instincts telling him bloodshed was awesome. The light above flickered and Gir began to spout out static rather than his usual droning voice. Moaning could be heard behind them that made both of them turn around.

Strange nurses with ruined white uniforms. They were all carrying some sort of rusted medical device as a weapon and none seemed to know how to properly walk upright, swaying and flailing their arms. But it wasn't that that was creepy, nor the bloodstains or the tendency for their tattered clothes to slip and fall at times. It was their twisted, nonsensical faces. There were no eyes nor mouths or any other distinguishable features. Just a morphed and distorted limp atop each wrecked body.

"D-Dib..." Zim whispered.

"Uh-huh," Dib panted/whimpered.

"Is this normal...for Earth hospitals...?" He asked, hoping against hope that this was just a bad day at the office for these girls.

"...No, Zim, it's not..." Dib answered, edging away from the zombie-like figures and back towards the double doors.

The strange twisted nurses were blocking their way back into the hallway, and the only other way was to go through the doors into the strange bloodstained room. Grasping Dib's wrist once more and tightening his hold on Gir's head Zim gave Dib a stern look. "Hold your breath," Zim ordered. He could already smell what was in the next room and was afraid the poor boy could pass out from the stench.

"...Why?" Dib asked, afraid to know.

"You'll see," Zim grunted, bolting through the doors without warning, leaving the moaning nurses behind.

Deep pools of red stained the entirety of the room, concentrating on the center where a metal table lay with large bleeding chunks sat haphazardly. Gir quit spouting static and awed at the room, finding it to be amazing. Honestly, Zim found it to be quite inspiring, too, but would never admit that to the scared-stiff human next to him. Dib was shaking and had closed his eyes as well as covered his nose with the map to block out the stench.

Squinting through the mess and vileness, Zim spotted a door on the opposite side of the room to which he pulled Dib. Loud squishes were ushered from Zim's boots as he walked, poor Dib had no shoes as his blood was mixed with that on the floor. Carefully, Zim led Dib around a mysterious chunk that seemed saturated with blood and oozed profusely.

Not even pausing, Zim kicked the door open with one boot and stomped his way through, beginning to get fed up with it all. There was nothing that could stop him in his rampage to find their way out of the stupid place Tak had brought them to.

Halfway down the hall, though, stood a vaguely familiar figure. Blonde hair, blue eyes, smug face, some sort of cleaver in his hand…. The only thing that came to mind was being annoyed at this person. A lot. The boy beside him, however, recognized this man because he started to glare hard at him. "Who the hell are you?" Zim asked. He was the only one allowed to make Dib so angry, not this stranger…whoever the hell he was.

"My name is-" But they never heard the rest, that raspy voice had been too slow before Zim just shot him, point blank in the head. The body thudded to the ground uselessly. It was fun to hear the crunches under Zim's boots as they walked down the hall, away from the body. Much to Zim's relief, Dib relaxed and was easier to drag along once the man was dead and on the ground.

"Where now, Dib?" Zim asked, coming to a crossroad in the hallways. Turning the map over in his hand, Dib merely shrugged while attempting to read it. As Zim growled in frustration, Gir suddenly made his way out of Zim's grip and started dancing on the floor.

"Hey…" Dib said, a glint of something in his eyes…hope? "Can't…Can't Gir get us out of here?"

"..?" Zim looked down at said Gir, pondering on that. "I dunno, I made him a locator chip once…but there's no telling if it's actually in that head right now…"

"Hey…where's my TAQUITOS!" Gir spouted randomly.

"GIR!" Zim snapped, causing Gir to just fall over with a clank on the tiled floor. "Where is the nearest exit!"

"Uhm….." Gir stood on his head and seemed to give it thought before going back to singing the doom song.

Before Zim could get even angrier Dib stepped in. "Where's the taco, Gir?" Dib asked lightly.

"Taco?" Gir repeated.

"Taco…?" Zim echoed, giving Dib a questioning glance.

"Yeah, Gir, where is it?" Dib asked again, watching the robot ponder.

"That way!" Gir said pointing to the left hallway. Zim grinned and picked Gir up once more, and continued dragging them down the hallway.

After much threatening, singing of the doom song, one forced dance, and much of Zim ranting and many angry words, they arrived at the large glass front of the hospital. "Thank fucking god…" Dib sighed, rubbing his head. He couldn't take much more of the doom song.

"Your 'god' had nothing to do with this…" Zim mumbled, peering about the place in a paranoid fashion.

"What?" Dib asked, looking around, too. "Is…is there someone around…?"

"…I'unno…" Well, that wasn't a good answer, and Dib made sure Zim knew that with an elbow to the ribs. To which the alien nudged back. Thus began a mini nudging war, distracting them just enough that they totally missed the figure in the shadows moving towards the doors, blocking the path. Another shadow from the other side joined it and waited. "Let's go, idiot-Hyuman…" Zim grunted. Dib grunted something incomprehensive in return, leaning on Zim for the journey to the door.

"So…we meet again…" Someone from the door said darkly. Dib jumped and noticed the two people by the door.

"Out of the way, Hyumans…" Zim growled, gripping his gun once more.

"I don't think so," The cunt woman said, causing Zim to growl all the more. Dib squinting and could finally see the two people, illuminated with the faint light from the still raining sky outside the hellish place.

"They're just using you…the Meekrob. They'll probably kill you once they're done with you," Dib pleaded to them.

"Not probably. Definitely," Zim corrected.

But this didn't phase House in the least. "Doesn't matter, as long as the Human race is protected."

"But don't you see, they don't care about Earth at all!" Dib yelled at them.

"You're the one who can't see, you're blinded by that Irken…The Meekrob need you…The human race needs you," House said softly, "This is a chance to save humanity. Isn't that what you wanted all along, Dib? To save Earth? Come with us now, and you'll be a hero…everyone will love you."

There wasn't a single spark of flame in the old man's eyes as he leaned on his cane. The words were completely sincere. He would be a hero…he would finally have saved Earth. He looked down and saw bright cyan eyes staring wide at him, as though this were just some soap opera. The grip Zim had on Dib's middle keeping him upright tightened slightly the longer Dib took to respond. "I don't need Earth…No one cared before…So, why should I care now…?" Dib said, fighting the urge to glance at Zim, instead he kept his eyes locked on House.

"Too bad, boy. I guess we'll do this by force then," House mumbled. Cuddy raised some sort of gun, pointed at Dib. He could feel the laser pass his skin, bristling. But it was going the opposite way, towards Cuddy. The entire next moment went by so fast, Dib couldn't catch it all. Closing his eyes, he waited until all was quiet again.

Before he even opened his eyes, he knew something was wrong. The grip on him wasn't supportive as it had been, but was now leaning against him, searching for support. A loud clang reverberated on the floor that Dib could feel in his bare feet. The faint scent of blood pelted at him. Opening his eyes again, he saw the two figures were gone, on closer inspection they weren't gone but slumped against the wall…dead and gone.

A gloved hand clenched to Dib's front, struggling to stay upright. The sight of Zim wasn't a comforting one. Because his holograph was on, bright red stained his chest, quickly spreading and starting to drip to the floor. Behind faux black hair, Zim's expression was one of pain. "Fuck…!" Dib whispered. Noticing the slowly growing puddle below them, he cursed again, more loudly this time. "Gir, lead us to the ship!"

Gir saluted, not realizing what was going on or why Dib was the one to order him around. He skipped to the door as Dib followed, agonizingly slow, trying to walk without hurting himself but while carrying most of Zim's weight as well. The gun lay forgotten on the dark floor, now covered in sticky, Irken blood.

Once outside, Dib cursed again. The rain was still just as heavy as earlier and just as poisonous. Zim seemed to become coherent for a moment as he stared at the falling rain and gathering puddles. "Gir…play…Sailor Moon…" Zim ordered softly, sounding out of breath. Dib had taken it as something mumbled in a moment of pain, not something to be taken seriously. But Gir made a squee noise and began shifting his parts about, transforming as cheesy music floated out of him. Now on the ground lay a large, green and black, metal umbrella. "You can…stand…under my…umbrella…" Zim breathed with a slightly pained grin as he clung to Dib. Dib smiled softly before bending to get the umbrella, trying not to jar Zim in the process.

"Neat…" Dib mumbled once the umbrella was over them. It took care of the rain and gave Gir something to do besides sing the doom song. Zim thudded his head against Dib's chest and rested there, pointing a hand in the right direction. Dib made his way out and tried to follow Zim's and Gir's strange directions until they reached the ship.

The door looked weird, like someone had tried to pry it open. Throwing open the hatch and getting safely inside, Dib looked around for the two he knew to be there. "Tak?" He called. She didn't seem to be there. Gir transformed back into himself and started chasing a tail that he didn't have. There was no one around and Dib wondered where they were. He checked the control room and saw Tak slumped against the chair, looking like she'd wrestled with a bear with her arms and legs tied up behind her. But there was no Miz to be seen. "Tak, where's Miz…?"

"Dib…Dib...Dib…" Tak mumbled, almost drunkenly. She shook her head and reached for the controls. "We've…we've gotta go….gotta leave…just go…"

"Where's Miz?" Dib asked again, strongly. Tak looked around shiftily before beginning to cry.

"Gone!" Tak wept. "They came and took him, Dib! He's just gone, we've gotta go before they come back!"

"Gone…?" Dib echoed painfully. He turned and left Zim in the other room near Gir before turning back to Tak, taking the controls from her. "Go help Zim, I'll steer us out," He said darkly.

"There's coordinates…" Tak mumbled as she left, "On the dash…" She shut the door on her way out, leaving Dib to solitude as he started the ship and started to go up…up into space.

What the hell was happening lately…? More importantly…who took Miz? The controls nearly broke with how hard Dib gripped them. He could hear Zim bitch and moan in the other room and Tak chastising him. Gir's doom song etched itself into Dib's mind. It was as though darkness followed them eternally now. Couldn't they ever get a break?

Taking a glance at the coordinates, Dib typed them into the auto pilot and let the ship handle itself. But he didn't leave the control room just yet. Instead, he stared into space…thinking about when everything went wrong…when everyone had started to die all around him. At least Zim was still there…for now. But if Dib wasn't careful…Zim would be gone, too.

...  
A/N  
Don't kill me in a blaze of fire! Or do...meh. Can you tell that I like Silent Hill? Just don't play it by yourself in a dark room O_0 it gets freaky. Sorry for not updating a lot, hectic summery doom summer doom doom doom doom. Imma go watch a musical now. ^3^ Thank you and goodnight.

Review? Pwease? Yes? See the button...? It likes you, a lot. More specifically, it likes being clicked by your mouse pointer. X3 clickey teh button and say words of doom. :3 next chapter coming sooner than this one did. hopefully.


	7. Stability

Chapter seven: Stability

Somewhere in between putting in autopilot and staring at the stars, Dib had fallen asleep in the pilot chair, slumped over the controls and drooling on his own arm that pillowed his head. It wasn't a good feeling to wake up to. Upon standing he realized there was a shooting pain in his foot that he forgot was there. But he could deal with that later, for now he wanted to figure out where they were and if Zim was okay. On the console was a small bundle of clothes and a note from Tak, but it was too rushed for Dib to read.

While dressing Dib glanced outside the window where there were buildings of all sizes and billboard ads in different alien languages, though Irken couldn't be seen. It only made Dib more curious as to where they were. So he went to find Tak in the next room, since she was the one to come up with the coordinates. But...Tak was no where to be seen. Neither was Zim... But there were smudges of green on the floor everywhere.

Suddenly Dib started thinking the worst, could an Irken withstand a shot to the chest like that? Chills filled his body as he thought of actually doing everything on his own. Getting Miz back, getting revenge on the Meekrob, most importantly: protecting Earth. Just before Dib could spaz out though, a heavy weight dropped on his back, almost knocking him to the floor.

"You have nice hair..." Someone whispered before claws ran through Dib's hair lethargically.

"Z...Zim...?" Dib stuttered, afraid of who that could be.

"The one and only," Zim cooed, his voice slightly muffled as he chewed on Dib's hair scythe, "Who elsh wuld I be...?"

"Oh I don't know...Meekrob?" Dib suggested weakly, just glad Zim was well enough to actually jump on him from behind. "Now...get off me."

"Hey! I give the orders around here!" Zim yelled erratically. "And if I was a Meekrob...I would just shoot you...point blank," Zim said quietly with a soft jab at Dib's back where Zim would supposedly shoot him.

"That's nice..." Dib mumbled, glancing around the small room. "Where's Tak?"

"Out," Zim replied shortly, not caring to go into detail.

Whether or not that was a sufficient answer, Dib took it anyway. He didn't really care what Tak did or if she came back, she was starting to just be a pain these days. "My name's Florida!" Gir screamed as he smashed into Dib's chest. "FLORIDA!" Tears flowed from Gir...somehow, and onto Dib's shirt. "Why is mah name Florida, Dib...why?" Gir cried.

Dib winced slightly from the impact to his chest, and tried to pry the little guy off of him. "Your name is Gir...not Florida..." Dib said sternly. Gir blinked, all signs of tears now gone.

"Ohhhhh Yeeeeaaaaahhh," Gir said as he giggled and flew away to hide in a storage compartment.

A strange shaking on his back had Dib's attention changing again. "What the hell...?" Suddenly a huge burst of laughing erupted from the alien on him. "Zim...what's going on?"

"Haha...I...heh..." More laughing. "I...told him...that..." Zim managed in between laughing. Dib sighed and wondered when the madness of today would end and some real work would happen.

"Seriously...get off me..." Dib sighed, trying to turn his head to see Zim and failing.

"You have a nice shirt..." Zim sighed, hugging onto Dib closer. "Can I haz...?"

"Can he haz...?" Gir echoed from wherever he was.

"Fine, if I give you my shirt will you get off?" Dib asked. He felt Zim nod against his back. The weight lifted and two booted legs stumbled to the ground, almost falling, but managing to stay upright. Dib sighed in relief and turned around catching sight of a very wasted looking Irken who was now smiling deviously at Dib.

"Shirt." Zim poked at Dib's chest until he figured a deals and deal and pulled off the shirt he had only just gotten. As Zim snuggled the shirt Dib noticed the bandages across the Irken's chest as well as the green stains seeping through them. He wondered where Zim's clothes went, he was only wearing his blood stained pants and boots.

"So...what do we do now..?" Dib asked. "They have Miz...whoever 'they' are..."

"I'unno..." Zim said, not paying much attention, too absorbed in trying to figure out how to put the shirt on now. "Tak went for supplies...and stuff."

"Oh..." Dib said. He shifted his weight, causing his foot to hurt again. "Ow..." He said dully, lifting his foot to see it.

With the muttered 'ow' Zim stopped messing with the shirt and let it drop to the floor. "..Ewwwwwwww..." He hissed, taking Dib's foot in his un-gloved hands, the fresh blood sizzling slightly on his skin, but Zim didn't notice. "You're gross..." Zim commented, picking at the glass embedded in Dib.

"Ow...be careful..." Dib whined. Zim shushed him and ignored the little whiny noises Dib made after that, sometimes mocking the sounds.

"Got it!" Zim exclaimed, holding up a deeply red tinted piece of glass, small tendrils of smoke rose from his hands as he seemed to play with the sharp object.

"Shit, could you _be_ any rougher?" Dib asked sarcastically, picking up some bandages he spotted earlier.

Immediately Zim stopped what he was doing to stare at Dib. "Yes. Yes, I can. Do you want me to have roughness...?" He asked, cocking his head slightly. Dib had been about to laugh, but a glance at Dib told him the alien was being completely serious.

"N-No...I don't," Dib said, equally serious. "Did something happen to your head? Did Tak hit you with something?"

"There's nothing wrong with my head!" Zim yelled, clutching his head, causing more red stains on his skin. Grabbing a nearby cloth and sighing, Dib grabbed Zim's hands gently.

"I know there's nothing wrong with your head, Zim. I meant did something happen while I was asleep?"Dib asked, trying to get all the blood off Zim as carefully as he could.

Taking the question seriously now, Zim looked up and twitched his antennae in thought. "Weeeelll. Tak went out for supliiiiessss. And Gir sang the dooooom soooong..."

"...Is that all?"Dib asked, holding Zim's head in his hands, looking at it.

"Ummmm. UhHuhhhh." Zim picked the shirt back up and snuggled it once more, leaving Dib to bandage his poor abused foot. When he was done and looked up at Zim from his spot on the floor to see him attempting to get the shirt on. The metal underfoot shifted slightly as Dib got up and helped Zim slide the shirt on properly. When all was said and done Zim looked like the happiest alien in the universe with a shirt that was a few sizes too big.

But of course, the illusion had to end as Zim frowned and stared at Dib. "Heeeeeeyyyy. I just remembered...Where's Inx? Ya know, the little girl...the little crazy one...?" Zim asked, poking Dib in the chest as he stared him down.

"Um...Zim, she's...gone," Dib said, not wanting to say the truth, the horrible truth.

It seemed he wasn't in a state to understand anything less than blunt, though. "Whatcha mean gone? Did she leave...? Where'd she go?" Dib took up Zim's hands in his and stared at them.

"She's dead. They killed her. Inx is dead," Dib said in a cold, hard tone. Now recognition kicked in.

"Oh...dead," Zim said hollowly, he fidgeted in Dib's grasp and looked away. "Yeah, well...it happens...a lot."

"But, Zim-" Dib started, not willing to accept the death of another friend.

"The Universe is at war," Zim said strongly, seeming so distant for a moment. "Not everyone will make it through this. It's wrong that a little girl like her should die...but I think the fate of the universe is more important...everything's falling apart at the seams, Dib. Everyone is fighting against each other now and we've got make sure that earth is safe...nothing else matters anymore...not you or me...just Earth..."

The hands Dib held were tensed with those words, easing up when he was finished. "...You're right. Earth is what's important...So, you're loyal to Earth now?" Zim looked away again, looking embarrassed.

"Well...Irk would probably blow me up if I came near...and Humans are too ignorant to notice me...or, they used to be. And the Meekrob can go suck it...I don't know whose side their on now..."

"Hm...I don't either," Dib admitted, "I think they're on Earth's side...or at least they were, now that Gaz isn't there...I don't know what they're doing. Let's hope they're still protecting Earth." Zim grimaced and made whiney noises.

"I hate Meekrob..." Zim mumbled.

"I know," Dib said, wondering how much longer Zim would be able to stay serious. "They want me dead, too. So do the Irkens...and the Humans...They all want you dead, too. I guess we're the secret protectors of Earth, huh?" Dib smiled at Zim and hoped to raise the mood.

"Uh-huh," Zim said, looking distracted. His hands had gone completely lax and he seemed to be looking far off in the distance.

"What? What is it...?" Dib asked, pulling Zim closer.

"...Just a...bad feeling," Zim murmured.

Suddenly Gir jumped out of his hiding spot and threw a plastic knife at Dib, landing with a clatter to the ground. "You just got knifed!" Zim yelled, pointing at the knife then at the robot who'd committed the act. "That's forking terrible..." Zim mumbled, clinging to Dib's arm and pretending to cry dramatically.

"...What are you two on today?" Dib sighed, watching Zim.

"What, too spoon?" Gir asked, busting out laughing, falling to the floor. The laughter was contagious and soon Zim was clinging to Dib not out of drama but so as not to fall to the floor with the bouts of laughter.

"Really? For real...?" Dib asked, holding Zim up, "And here I thought the conversation was getting good..."

"F-Forking t-terrible..." Zim mumbled, laughing harder. Dib lamely 'ha ha'ed at the phrase, almost dropping the alien when his hand slide across the hidden pak under the big shirt. An idea suddenly came to mind, remembering random things Zim had blurted out before.

"Hey, Zim, focus for a second. Your pak, can it give you painkillers?" Dib asked, and when Zim nodded the whole ordeal suddenly made more sense. Sitting down and bringing Zim down with him, Dib figured he'd just have to handle it the best he could until Tak came back.

…

The entire ship was darkened by the aura of evil, a dark and dominating presence. There were no other people aboard the ship at the time. A four-beat bang could be heard echoing throughout the dark place, reverberating against the walls and smothering the silence. "Oh, where, oh, where did my little henchman go..." The British sounding alien called. A screech sounded down the damp hall, signaling to the Master where the little robot had gone now. It had sounded very far off, but he merely smiled and starting humming 'Singing In the Rain'.

The half-light from a dirt encrusted window illuminated the white on the man's black and white striped suit, making him look even taller than he was. He waltzed down the hall in ease, sure that the area was completely safe, though the computer had reported odd life forms on the scan. But he didn't care, nothing much bothered him. He was only here in this abandoned ship to find an able-bodied tool to do the tedious menial work that he was too lethargic to do.

"Sir?" A strange voice called from within the darkness. The Master paused, but kept humming contentedly, there wasn't a being in the universe that could stop him, so why should a strange voice cause him worry? A small boy with back hair appeared, looking at him dreamily, as if seeing through him, or not seeing anything at all. "I believe this is yours?" He said, like he wasn't sure of himself. The Master looked and saw a small metallic cylinder in the boys hands.

"Yup, that's my bot there," The Master confirmed, holding out his hand, "And it goes here, boy." The boy in question smiled eerily and held the cylinder closer to himself.

"Master? I'd like you to meet my Master," The boy said, staring right at the Time Lord, his eyes suddenly piercing with such clarity. The Master now noticed that the boy was dressed in a mere black hoodie and jeans...yet they were in outer space. Odd.

The Master stopped humming, but kept tapping his fingers on the metallic wall next to him in that four-beat tap. "Oh? And who is this bloke? And what race, too? Can never be too careful," The Master said with a grin.

"That should be of no importance, Time Lord," The boy said grimly, "You shall know when you meet."

"Alright...and why should I bother to meet this ponce who sends a boy to make appointments for him, then?" The Master asked, growing more serious. The boy grinned maliciously now, hugging the cylinder.

"Because I won't give this back if you don't," He threatened. The Master rolled his eyes.

He half-turned the other way, showing that he didn't care. "Fine then, those things are everywhere...Those Irken people make Sir Units everyday, I'll find another one."

"Not like this one...this particular one is unique...only one person can design a Sir like this, and she's...no longer available," The boy said, stepped further back, taking the Sir with him. Seeing no other way out, The Master sighed heavily, this boy was being such an annoyance.

"Care to tell me what makes this Sir so different from the others?" The Master asked.

"Have you heard of...music players...?" The boy asked.

That rang a little bell. "You mean, like, from Earth?" The Master said curiously.

"Yes," The boy confirmed, "This one has a loud speaker installed that plays music a high velocities." The mysterious four-beat tapping stopped and silence fell upon the ship.

"Where is this...master...of yours?" The Master asked, begrudgingly calling someone else by his beloved title 'master'.

There was that creepy smile and annoying clarity in his eyes again as the boy grinned at the Master, obviously happy in his success at enticing the Master. "He's waiting for you in the upper levels of this ship..."

"He?" The Master echoed as he started to follow the boy. "That's disappointing..."

"Don't worry," The boy assured him, "We will provide however many females you desire."

At that The Master grinned evilly. "Well now, you got _something_ right," He murmured just before beginning another round of 'Singing in The Rain'.

…

This plan had been made before She'd committed treason...before they'd gotten attached and accidentally prolonged the procedure. But the Control Brains finally righted their actions with the new subject, the better subject. This one was more suited to the upgrades...much more sustainable. Her organ systems were compatible with those of the upper species. This...Kita creature, was more than adequate for their intentions. She would be transformed...re-created.

Sure, there was resistance, but there rarely isn't. Especially with operations such as this, the changes are not easily made. But the Irken systems aligned with their own eased the burden...on both ends of the transaction. The fight in her wasn't completely taken away, after all, they were remodeling the subject, not killing it.

No, killing her wasn't the intention, nor was it to bring peace. Their work was put forth with the idea of creating the ultimate weapon, the one true destroyer of worlds. She would become the seer of all, the only one truly fit to lead a people such as the Irkens, the one being who could stand being around Tallest Red and Purple for very long without going completely insane.

The newly Christened Ki lightly stepped off from the transporter. All Irkens around gazed at her beauty and magnificence, bowing before her, calling her the true Queen of Irk. As they should, she thought. She'd gone through so much and now these new, more powerful creatures had given her all that she asked for. Now even the Tallests did not seem like such an obstacle. Of course, they knew she would think this upon reaching the Massive, but she no longer cared. Why give her power if they did not wish her to use it?

She grinned as Red and Purple both bowed before her amazing might, looking like fools in front of everyone. It made her so happy to finally have her revenge, she could do to Red whatever she liked and no one would say a word against it. She doubted that even Red would argue against it. But something nagged at the back of her mind...a little reminder. Her thoughts were so changed, but this one thought kept repeating... Odd, part of Gaz's brain cells had been transplanted into hers to assure maximum performance, but it seemed her cells had this flaw as well.

It wasn't merely a thought either...but a word...several words, really. The most prominent coming from her original parts, though...was the word _Zim_...it kept repeating...and she had no idea as to why.

…

"Good," The blue-haired demon hissed, "So he's coming?"

"Yes," Nikki said, standing at his side loyally. She could determine present events fairly well and knew for a fact that her brother and the target were headed straight for them now. "Indefinitely," she said, knowing this word pleased him. He grinned and turned his head towards different plans on the wall involving a completely separate target.

He hesitated before speaking, looking over the designs carefully. "Is the next target prime for phase two?" Kaito asked.

"Yes," The gypsy answered after a moment's thought. Phase two wasn't a big deal, and didn't have much priority. The mission didn't even have that many conditions, like flipping a light switch.

"Good..." Kaito mumbled, returning to his earlier work. Nikki just hoped she would get to flip the switch and not that position-stealing brother of hers. She still didn't know how he could get such good treatment, considering the menace he could be.

Upon hearing the door open, she thrust those thoughts from her mind. Time to shine and show her master what a good servant she could be when motivated.

…

The hallways and rooms deeper inside the ship were even darker and deadly looking than the outside. Every room seemed as if spikes and lasers would shoot out of nowhere, and it was all very exciting to a certain Time Lord called The Master.

"So your...Master," He cringed at the usage of the word, "...is at the center of the ship...?" He only asked because they kept walking but weren't going anywhere. Which was starting to grate on his nerves, the ship hadn't seemed quite so large from the outside.

"Oh yes...he's waiting for you," The boy said.

"Great..." The Master mumbled. The walls kept getting slightly darker with every turn they made, and with every turn they made, the more lost they seemed to get. "Are you sure you know where you're going, lad?"

"Yes, yes. More than anyone..." He whispered, The Master barely able to hear him at all.

The Master quirked an eyebrow. "Then where_ are_ we going?" He asked, getting suspicious.

"Here," The boy said, stopping where he was.

Stopping just behind him, The Master uttered a low, "Finally," In response. Then he took a look around, seeing just a plain hallway, nothing special about it. "Where _is_ here, exactly...?" He asked.

"Exactly where we need to be..." The boy said, not turning around. Just before The Master was about to raise another question the boy spoke more. "We are now in a separate reality, which consists of this maze-like hallway system. If you run, you will never escape. The only way out is if we let you out. The only way we'd let you out is if you follow my masters commands. Understand?" The boy asked.

"..." The Master made no move to comply, nor to argue. The boy nodded and turned to face The Master.

The boy clutched the robot closer to his chest and seemed to stare straight through the Time Lord...no longer seeing him. "Goodbye, then..." And with that said, the boy started to walk away, leaving the Master standing idly by.

"So...this is the famous Time Lord...?" Someone said from behind. The Master whipped around to face a blue-haired stranger, who seemed to be analyzing The Master with a critical eye. "somehow...I expected far more."

"Who the bloody hell are you?" The Master snapped at him, not liking being underestimated.

"...Doesn't matter, what does, though...is that I have a bloody hell of a job for you," Kaito said, smirking at the glare he was receiving.

…

Inside the console of the ship, Nikki put all of her concentration into holding up the illusion world her master and the Time Lord were in. Beside her she could hear her brother starting up systems, pushing certain buttons. The damn little bug was stealing her position again, torturing the Irken was supposed to be her treat for being good, and now he was doing it. A frown donned her face as she kept the illusion going steady.

…

The small ship docked on the trade planet that had been so noisy for so long was finally quiet and calm. Inside said ship was a human with a sleeping Irken and Sir Unit on his lap, both taking up as much room as possible so that Dib had no way of getting up. To pass the time Dib stroked Zim's antennae, feeling the rough texture. At least Gir was asleep, too, the silence was much easier than the doom song.

As Zim shifted his arms circled around Dib's middle, settling with his head on Dib's side. "Nnn.." Zim started mumbling incoherently in his sleep, Dib eased up on rubbing the antennae and strained to make out what Zim was saying. "Mm...N-No..." Zim whined, curling tighter onto Dib.

Dib somewhat hugged Zim worriedly, rubbing a little to hopefully make the nightmare go away. The touch only had Zim whimpering more. Underneath the thin shirt, Dib could feel Zim's skin grow colder and start to sweat. Fear began to lace Dib's insides as he tried to figure out what was happening.

With a metallic grind, the front door opened and Tak appeared, carrying several boxes in her arms. She dropped them on the floor loudly and sighed in relief. All the noise woke Gir and caused him to start running around the room like a maniac. None of this woke Zim in the least. "Hey, Tak, something's wrong with Zim..." Dib said worridly, glancing up at her. Her antennae perked up in surprise and knelt down by them.

"I thought I bandaged him pretty good..." Tak mumbled.

"It's not that," Dib said, rubbing Zim's arms to make him warmer. "I don't know what it is." Tak watched Zim and touched his arm lightly, noting the coldness and the way Zim cringed away from her touch.

"Wierd," She murmured, "He was like this one time...I remember it was a while back. He got all cold and didn't want to be touched, like it hurt him or something..." Tak's words almost made Dib push Zim away, hearing that touching hurt him. But the alien was clinging so tightly to him, he didn't have too much choice in the matter.

A loud dinging interupted them and cause Tak to rush up and to a console nearby. "W-What is it?" Dib asked, worried they were being attacked again. But there was no response, Tak was staring at the console screen with a serious face.

"I have to go, Dib," She mumbled, "I brought you guys some stuff, and I want you to continue..."

"What? Where are you going?" Dib asked, almost getting up, but the dead wieght on his lap had him hesitating. For a long moment as Tak collected a bag from the door there was a deafening silence.

She looked away as she clicked her holographic disguise on. "I can't live like this...My lover is somewhere out there, and I have to get him. Surely you understand. But...You need to go on without me, without me and Skoodge. The Earth...no, the Universe, is possibly in your hands. You guys have to keep going. Forget Kaito, and go to the Talkinians, Zim should know where they are. They hate war, and thus they hate the Irkens and Meekrob, they'll help you guys."

"But...You can't just go," Dib said, easing Zim away and standing up, "There's no way you can save Skoodge by yourself, you need backup..." The glare he recieved told him exactly how Tak felt about 'backup'.

"I don't think a damaged Human and defective Irken would serve much use on the battlefield," Tak mumbled, glancing back to the door.

"I'm not going to let you do this, Tak," Dib said darkly, reaching out to take her arm. But before he even came close Tak swung around and sent him flying to the wall. Glaring up the best he could as he rubbed his bruised chest, Dib watched the Irken soldier take her leave.

With a grunt, Dib got up and searched the console for a clue as to where Tak went, but just saw a blank screen, she'd cleared it before leaving. So he did the only thing he could do in such a situation, kicked Gir in the head and went back to Zim. Gir was hopelessly confused for a moment before pretending to be a squirrel again.  
...

Darkness...why was the dark so..._dark_? Soon though there was a voice, too, a lulling one. Kita...that's whose voice this was. 'Sleep, smeet, sleep...' Reassurance, comforting and deep, and warm. Yeah, such a warmth that went all the way through his 'spooch. It was so nice to be surrounding by these walls of warm and sweetness, sugary and delicious. A slight tingle radiated down his spine, edging out through his body and spreading along his limbs. The amazing warmth started to escalate, toasting him inside and out.

And then the pain began.

Deep within the core, it was like a switch flipped, and the warmth was suddenly too warm. Hot firey pain, a kind of pain that didn't, couldn't, subside. It came in waves and made him wish he were already dead. Wish he'd been killed in training, wish that the Dib had dissected him long ago. A long-forgotten memory similar to this moment arose, but was soon pushed away. The pain was too great to bother with something as difficult as remembering anything.

Sharp pain rubbed along his arms, dragging that intense heat and scratching his skin apart. He wished those damn arms of his would just burn off and quit hurting. Every breath raked in and out, tearing at his insides and leaving him ragged. Why couldn't this sensation just stop...? Why was this happening to him? What had he done to deserve this. Pain spurred at his arm once again for a fleeting moment before leaving just as quickly. In the slight peace of absense of the sharper pain, he noticed there were voices. Far away and distorted beyond recognition, but they were still there. Oh, how much he wanted to call out to them, beg that the pain end.

Again, pain licked at his arms, but now his sides as well. Hundreds of needles poked at his skin and entered, piercing his muscles and tendons and sliced straight through the bone. He wanted to cry out, but his throat had already been burned beyond recognition and could barely put up with the strain of mere breathing. An intense feeling of utter pain flared across his chest and spread along his arms.

Vainly, he tried to make his pak take care of the pain and acess the problem, but the pak was unresponsive. It seemed the virus or whatever it was had affected that, too. The sensation covering his skin reminded him of being dumped in water tanks during training. Irk, that had hurt...of course, this hurt much worse... And it was making his pak act strangely as well. The usual signals and sounds he got from it were changing, lowering. Something was interferring with the frequency...the flow of energy from the pak couldn't be felt. Though, that could be due to the massive amount of pain coursing through his body...but what if it wasn't?

Oddly, the pain started to ebb ever so slightly. The tips of his fingertips and toes were steadily cooling, growing colder and colder until they were completely numbed. The feeling of numbness was slowly spreading down his arms and legs, cooling him down. He wondered if this was the pak finally responding to his comands. Though, painkillers from his pak usually started from the center of his body, where the pak was. As the icey numb got closer and closer to his chest, fear built up and he suspected the worst. Chills went up his spine and his throat was finally given sweet relief. He couldn't feel any part of his body and soon the chills started to penatrate his mind, too.

Just as the world left him completely, he wondered whether this cold numbness was good or bad. Probably bad, but that fact didn't bother him just then.

...

I'm sorry! Don't kill me! Yeah, not much else to say. I'm typing this in my sister's room, Staying the night in here because I aparently have the ability to ward off ghosts. It's very late, and my sister's keyboard is wierd, plus if I keep typing too loud...well, let's say this fic wouldn't get finished. Goodnight.  
Please review! It's good for the economy! (that's a filthy lie, but review anway :3 )


	8. Fear

Chapter Eight: Fear  
Dedicated to Sparky, cause I miss her so...

Traveling alone in space reminded Tak of the old days...when the world really made sense, in a deranged sort of way. It was just Tak and Mimi against the world. She was lucky she'd left her ship on that trade planet with Mimi locked inside. The little Sir Unit was still pretty dinged up after the first encounter with Zim long ago, but she'd repaired it enough that it could follow basic commands. Though sometimes...like now...the Sir was too overloaded and turned into something like Gir. On the other side of the ship Mimi was banging her head on the wall and singing some Earth song. How she learned the song, Tak had no idea.

But the rambling nonsense made Tak miss Skoodge even more. He was on one of the Meekrob's prison planets. The planet was heavily guarded and filled to the brim with deadly traps, but too bad for the Meekrob that Tak was a master at traps and devices. The atmosphere around the planet was literally a minefield of cloaked meteors loaded with bombs and explosives. Rather than think about Skoodge and her desperate desire to be with him again, she concentrated on her mission, one that wouldn't be as easy as her past ventures. She flipped on the bomb sensor in her ship and waited for signs of the meteor field as she neared the outer levels of the planet. A screen with a radar came up and revealed several blinking dots; Active bombs. But she noticed something she hadn't anticipated, the live bombs hidden in cloaked meteors were moving through space nonsensically.

It was difficult to navigate through the field with Mimi rambling off the wall things at high speed and full volume. "Mimi! SHUT the HELL up!" She yelled over the robot. A metallic clank was the only thing heard as Mimi fell from her perch to the floor. Well, she was on the floor and immobile now, but at least she was quiet. Tak resumed her work but found it was immensely meticulous to look off the scanner and steer. The act was draining all of her energy. So, time for the secret device she hid in the back of the ship. She kept it hidden from Zim and Dib simply because her pride made her think they would handle it wrong and break it.

It was a top secret device from Irk, there was only one as of now, although she didn't know if they'd made another one since she had left. Many years ago while on planet Dirt, she'd gotten it from an Irken named Darth. The machine was called BINED, which stood for Bio-Interfacial-Neurological-Enhancement-Device. It let the user see as the ship and interface with the computer's CPU. It was quite the ingenious little machine. With a grin, Tak slide it on, having already synchronized with the device years ago, and began to navigate much more smoothly. It had been designed for blind Irkens, specifically a blind Invader named Darth. Thinking of him made Tak wonder if he was still mad at her for steali- _'borrowing' _the BINED and trapping him on Dirt. He couldn't be too bad off, he could still get off the planet, right? Who knew.

There was a lurch in the ship and Tak cursed the fact that she hadn't remembered Darth's advice about the blind spot in the back. A meteor bomb crashed into the back and exploded, successfully ruining her ship. She wasn't going to give up now though. Yelling and cursing all the while, Tak shot out randomly, lasers and cannons and anything else her ship could throw, just hoping it would clear a path through the bombs so her ship wouldn't get even more exploded. The ship was getting closer and closer to the planet, successfully not exploding again in the minefield. Now she was close enough to the planet's surface to crash on it. Fire charred the sides as she went spiraling through the atmosphere way too fast. She screamed and tried to regain control. Mimi suddenly leaped up and grabbed onto Tak's antennae and began yelling in fear of crashing.

Thankfully, most of the planet was made of sand and desert, rather than oceans and mountains, so she could aim for a softer looking portion of the desert. The ship shook harshly as it burrowed deep into sand. Growling in frustration that she had no ejection sequences, Tak grabbed Mimi hastily and opened the hatch, jumping out and trying to roll on the rough surface. They bounced and rubbed against the angry and hot desert floor, finally stopping far away from where they landed. If it weren't for the heat radiating from the cracked dirt under her, Tak probably wouldn't have gotten up. When she did, she wished she hadn't. Their ship was completely ruined. Half of the BINED was crushed and ruined only feet away from her, having been torn from the ship in the landing. So much for the back being the safest spot... She winced when part of the paneling suddenly cracked and fell off.

Before they could set off to find the prison on the planet, they heard a noise...like sizzling. Heat bristled Tak's antennae accompanied by stinging pain. Plasma energy. "Mimi!" Tak yelled, pulling her own guns from her pak as she spun to shoot at whoever had the gall to attack an Irken soldier.

"Meekrob soldiers!" Mimi reported, "Five of them!" Judging by where the shot had come from, Tak shot off several rounds of lasers in that direction. One Meekrob fell to the ground, dead. Tak grinned, she'd upgraded all of her guns to include the certain energy that could kill a Meekrob. It was much better than any Irken tech, or Vortain.

Watching the horizon, she waited for the rest to show themselves. "Where are they, Mimi?"

"Fifty yards north," Mimi reported, also watching the horizon.

"Do they know we're here?" Tak asked, turning to the Sir.

"Most likely not," Mimi answered.

"South, then," Tak said, marching in the opposite direction, away from the Meekrob corpse.

"How do we plan on finding the entrance to the prison?" Mimi asked, gazing up at Tak. "My sensors aren't able to find anything on the surface..."

"We'll just have to play this ear, as the humans say," Tak answered, honestly not knowing what they would do now. All she did know was that she had a lover to save, and that kept her marching in a straight line to the south.

...

It was said that on desert planets, a simple flower can inspire hope in lost souls. On this particular planet, they did give hope, but they also happened to contain a vast amount of liquid in their stems, allowing poor dying creatures a fresh relief of juice and a hint of a future ahead of them.

A quiet little lizard made its slow way across the sand, constantly struggling not to sink to the depths of the sand. It was slowed by fatigue, heat, and hunger. Ahead of it...no...it had to be a mirage. But...it wasn't! A flower! Dear lord, thank the heavens. The little lizard hurried its pace ten-fold to make it to that dear life force nearby.

In its haste to reach the finish line marked at the white flower in that hot desert, the little lizard hadn't heard the coming footsteps dragging through sand. It was almost there, it could see the white petals, tinted pink at the very edges, and they looked...dare he think it..._moist_! It raised its head to lick the wetness from that glorious icon, but...all he tasted was sand, and a hint of death... Opening its eyes once more, it no longer saw the flower, but a giant boot!

...

"You stepped on something," Mimi pointed out, looking down at Tak's boot.

"Huh?" Tak looked down as well and saw a petal sticking out from under her foot. Next to her she noticed a lizard. It was skinny and small, but didn't look poisonous. "Hey, Mimi. Look, a snack," Tak said slowly.

The words sunk in as Mimi noticed the lizard, and her eyes lite up red, thinking of how much she loved to cook exotic foods. The lizard looked up at them, not looking too happy. It looked up at them and saw that Tak was a 'flesh and blood' person.

The lizard opened it's jaws wide. And we're talking _wide_. It's jaw literally cracked back and up with a sickening sound in order to widen. It seemed to grow in size, the scales separating to reveal more scales, and soon it was already half Tak's size. Then there were the razor sharp teeth, rows upon rows of them, never ending through the whole throat. Tak's antennae went completely limp and fell behind her. "We...we should...run..." She said quietly. She looked to where Mimi had been and then behind her, where Mimi was already far away, having thought of the running thing sooner.

Without hesitation she ran away from the perilous lizard, which had become slightly bigger than Tak now, and able to swallow her whole if it wanted too. If whole meant with pieces torn off as it barreled down a throat lined with rows of daggers that could stab through your neck and keep going. Needless to say, both Tak and Mimi ran far, far away from the lizard, who was still too exhausted to move very fast, and avoided any flowers or lizards they came across.

Soon enough, after much running around the desert planet and attempts at navigation that failed, Tak started to wonder if they would be able to find this glorified entrance to the prison. "We'll never find Skoodge at this rate!" Tak yelled in frustration, throwing her hands up. She kicked a rock that rolled down a small slope and into some animals hole-in-the-ground home. "Hey...I just had an idea..."

"Yes, Master?" Mimi asked, peering up at Tak in curiosity. Tak crouched next to Mimi with excitement in her eyes.

"Is it possible to burrow into the ground here?"

"...Yes," Mimi answered, looking at and analyzing the ground.

"What if..." Tak got a very excited look about her suddenly, "What if the Meekrob have their prison _in_ the planet?"

"But...it would still have to have a surface entrance..." Mimi said, unable to see why such an entrance could be found in a scan.

"This is the Meekrob here," Tak answered, "I've heard they can phase through things, what if they phase through the entire crust of this planet to get to the prison?"

"It's possible..." Mimi admitted. "How would they get prisoners in?"

"This is maximum security here...so they probably have some special entrance. We don't know what Meekrob technology is like...maybe they have transporters...like on that Earth show _Star Trek_..." Tak whispered, feeling much like she was gossiping.

"Maybe..." Mimi said.

"I think we should try to find the entrance underground...it's gotta be somewhere..." Tak said.

"It's worth a shot..." Mimi said, putting her hands together as sparks shot out of them, flying everywhere. A charge went across the air as Mimi's hands, put together, formed into a giant drill. Finding a decent soft spot to start, Mimi began to burrow into the ground, making a hole.

With nothing else to do, Tak simply kept watch nearby for more Meekrob soldiers.

-Two _Irken_ Hours Later-

Working hard as only a Sir Unit could, Mimi was already halfway through the crust. And beside the gaping hole in the ground, lazing off as only an Irken or middle class American could, Tak slumped against some rocks and stared at the sky, daydreaming about Skoodge. She gave up long ago on trying to spot anything on the horizon...there was just nothing out here.

-Five _More _Irken Hours Later-

At the very edge of the hole, Tak peered in, squinting and trying to see the bottom. "Mimi, report!"

"There is only a very thin later of crust left...then I think we will see the gap that lies in between the exterior crust and the roofing of the prison," Mimi explained, though she knew Tak didn't care as long as success was close by.

"Good," Tak said quietly and looked up at the sky again. Her thoughts traveled far and wide in a few good seconds, but all thought was lost when she felt a few small rocks shift under her boot and she realized she was much too close to the edge of the giant hole. She felt something behind her, pressure pushing on her. As she slipped on the rubble and fell before she could catch herself, she saw a giant lizard watching her descend.

As Tak came tumbling down the rabbit hole her pak legs plunged out and grabbed at the sides of the hole, but the sleek metal only slid on the rocky surfacing. All she managed was slowing down her fall. She landed flat on her back on the brown dirt, cracks beginning to spread below her leading up the sides of the pit. Tak sent a hateful glare at Mimi. But Mimi's thoughts weren't on Tak's hate, but on the surface they were currently on...those cracks were pretty huge.

Tak cursed their once she noticed the cracked ebbing out from under her. Without a further thought, the entire flooring they were on caved in and they fell, quite loudly and heavily, onto a large metal roofing whose surface was strangely warm.

"Well...we're in," Tak pointed out uselessly. She pulled herself up from the ground and looked around at the expanse of metallic roofing. Tak thought about the thick looking surface they'd landed on and the darkness of underground. "It's too thick to burrow through, so...we find the actual entrance now," Tak decided, waiting on Mimi to scan the metal surface and point them in the right direction before marching off diligently.

It was dark and cold there under the surface of the planet, just above some structure. They were there to find an entrance, one that would lead to Skoodge. The entrance was a key to chaos, once they found it, it would still be hell to get in and get the goods. She would have been afraid...she should have been. But she knew what the risk was and, frankly, she didn't care. After all, this wasn't a rescue mission, or reconnaissance or anything of the like. The mission and objective was simple, with one single thing in mind.

One more time...she just had to see him one more time...

It didn't matter...she was slowly fading into darkness, as she was sure Skoodge was as well. Just to see him, even if she was killed. She only had to make it to that moment, then she could die happily. Of course, she didn't tell any of this to Mimi, who would only protest and make a fuss. No, this was her burden alone to carry.

"Master, up ahead!" Mimi yelled. It was a Meekrob guard, and he was walking...in circles... No, he was walking around the entrance hatch he was guarding. "We must handle the situation with care and delicacy."

"Nope." Tak took a small sharp stick from her pak and flung it at the guard, catching him in the back of the neck. "This is more fun...and quicker." As the guard squirmed, trying to get the foreign object out, Tak and Mimi ran by and jumped through the hatch. "Yoink!" and stole the guards gun on the way by. "Hehe."

"Is that wise?" Mimi asked, glancing at the gun as they ran along the hallway.

"I dunno," Tak admitted, not even looking at it. The hallway inside the compound was better lit than its roof. They could see the dull white walls and yellowed floors. The lights weren't actually that great, but it was better than the roof, which was near pitch darkness. Now...to find Skoodge...in this giant prison...that takes up the entire inside of a planet...yeah... "Um...how do we find Skoodge...?"

Mimi stopped dead in her tracks and glared at Tak, who'd stopped just down the hall. "We...We've come all this way...and you don't know...where he is...?" Mimi asked.

"Um..." There wasn't really any way to explain this one. So Tak stalled and looked around. Without warning she kicked Mimi in the head, deactivating her. With a sinister grin Tak picked Mimi up and started to run down the hall. Now to find Skoodgey.

Oh dear Irk...this place was HUGE! None of the hallways made sense, some sloped down and some upwards, they went diagonal and vertical! Meekrob...they had the ability to fly...so why make hallways for people who can't? And none of the walls or floors were marked in any way. Great...no way to remember where she'd been either. After nearly falling into a vertical hallway, Tak came upon a large, red, curved wall.

Out of curiosity, she stepped closer to it. It was...shiny. It wasn't a wall at all! She put her gloved hand on it and felt the smooth texture...so warm. The red changed and swirled in different shades...light was coming from this substance as well. Tak must have gone down a lot of downward paths, because this was the center of the planet...with only a thick sheet of specially made glass protecting them from the molten core filled with churning lava. She gazed up at it, transfixed...it was so beautiful.

A sound down the hall from her made her start and look around in a paranoid fashion. It was just some little kid...he was kinda cute too. "Hey, little kid...do you know where Irken prisoners are kept?" Tak asked as she crouched next to him. He looked up at her with those huge kid eyes and...and...opened his mouth...that was filled with huge razor sharp teeth... Tak gasped and nearly fell over in her rush to stand back up. She backed away slowly as the kid's mouth kept getting bigger...The kid's legs kept getting longer and longer as he stood over Tak. That was it...the point at which Tak knew this couldn't be good, so she ran like hell down the passage and bolted down the nearest hallway, taking random turns and twists to lose the boy.

Finally she reached what looked like a drinking fountain just sitting in the middle of an intersection, she looked back and didn't see or hear any sign of the Meekrob kid following her. "Thank Irk..." Tak sighed, turning back to the fountain. She had guessed wrong...it was actually a bird bath... "The hell is that doing here?"

"What doing where?" Mimi asked from under her arm. The Sir was finally back to lucidity. Tak merely pointed to the strange object, letting Mimi hop out of her grasp and stand before the bath. "...That's odd..."

"Yeah..." Tak agreed. They passed by it without another thought, and kept going down the hall.

…

Somewhere...near...yes! Tak was near...! Somehow...he didn't know how he knew...but he knew...Tak was close by, he could feel it through his whole core, reverberating and echoing like a far away heartbeat. It was comforting...but worrisome as well...what if she'd been caught as well. What if she was to suffer the same fate as he? No, he told himself, Tak's smarter than that...she's...better than that...

He lost control of his thoughts once more as that same drip dripping brought him back to remembering his reality. The acidic water slowly fell on him, one drop...then another...another...another...another. It was enough to make someone go mad, even without the incredible burning feeling. After awhile he grew numb to it, but every so often...when he remembered, the pain would be unbearable. If only it weren't so damn dark...he couldn't see anything, from the place he was kept to the tormentors that came by. How long had it been...hours...days...months...minutes...seconds... Time lost its meaning when blurred with pain and hollow darkness. This was a place of and for death...it was hell. It was made for death and death was coming...just a matter of time...which had no meaning...so death was here. Living and breathing in the same breaths as him, _in _his breath. In the stale air...his blood...in the pain. In his need and want...Skoodge was dead. But...he was still thinking...so death wasn't here yet. Maybe... If he could just see his beloved one more time...maybe the pain would disappear. And be replaced with sweet, indifferent demise. Oh, how blessed that would be...to die. For the world to be lifted from him and all thoughts erased from his mind. All except for one thought...

Tak.

...

The labyrinth of halls never seemed to end...never came to a point that Tak could figure out where they were in the huge sphere. There were never any guards...and she hadn't seen anymore of the strange children. How could such a huge place go unprotected like this? It seemed to be a perfect target. Invaders only needed to drill a hole through the crust and find the hatch entrance. There had only been one guard there...it was such a strange place... She'd stopped running far back, it was unreasonable, there was no way she'd be able to navigate while running around like crazy.

Maybe there weren't any guards because there was no need for them. That thought had her pausing. No one knew how hollow the place was because no one ever made it to the surface. This was quite the feat...making it even so far as the center of the planet. Looking up and around, Tak couldn't spy any cameras. But then...they never had gained Meekrob technology, their cameras could be undetectable. There truly was no telling if someone could see her or not. "Mimi," Tak said, turning to the small robot, "Scan the area for bugs, or any other tech."

"Yes, my master," Mimi responded and stood very still, doing a scan. It only took a moment. "There are no guards in the perimeter, or any sign of life... The planet is run entirely by machines and computers..."

"By computers...?" Tak asked, a chill going down her pak.

"Y-yes...they're...they're watching us," Mimi whispered, looking around at the walls. "The computers are programmed very cruelly...I believe the AI's are..._playing_ with us." That would explain why they were getting nowhere. But...playing with them? That implied that they would finish them off later. "They've been moving walls around to keep us going in circles..."

"Then that means...we definitely won't make it out of here alive..." Tak whispered, saying aloud what she'd known from the start. Mimi nodded her confirmation. "But we can try..." Tak said, coming up with an idea, spotting a very well hidden control panel on the wall. Mimi followed Tak's gaze and took the lead.

The panel opened instantly at Mimi's touch, maybe knowing what Mimi was going to try, and thinking Mimi couldn't possibly do any damage. The panel consisted of a keyboard and several screens with all sorts of cord inputs. Furiously Mimi typed in codes, then pulled different cords from her head and plugged them into the computer. "I'm in the CPU..." Mimi reported. Tak watched with a mix of curiosity and worry. She was definitely willing to die for this mission but Mimi? Well, Mimi was her Sir and would follow her into oblivion...so she guessed it didn't matter. And, Mimi would be okay...surely Meekrob technology wasn't so bad that it could harm the little Sir, right?

Sparks began to fly little by little from the cords attached to Mimi's head and her eyes began to twitch a bit. "Infiltrating the system..." Mimi muttered. Sparks skyrocketed from Mimi's head as all the lights flickered off. Tak hurried to bring a torch from her pak, and saw Mimi laying on the ground, cords still attached but no light in her eyes.

"Oh...Mimi..." Tak whispered, leaning close to Mimi. "I'm so sorry..." She petted Mimi and tried to turn her back on, but nothing worked, the little Sir had been too overloaded. But thankfully it wasn't in vain, for the computer systems had been fried too. They wouldn't be for long though, Tak knew they would somehow be repaired. She unplugged Mimi and sat her up against the wall. "You're a good Sir Unit, Mimi...bye..." She kissed Mimi on the head and ran for it down the hall.

With the power out, the walls couldn't move anymore, so Tak was able to find somewhat of a map on one wall. Made for workers who rarely visited the machine operated space. She was close...so close. The prison holdings were near, and Tak could tell which one Skoodge would be in.

Now that she knew where she was going, she pelted down the hall in a rush, trying to get near enough before the CPU flipped back on and started getting her lost again. This was her one last chance. Mimi was dead now...she accepted it. If she screwed this up, Skoodge was gone forever, Tak would be lost until the CPU decided to finally kill her, and Mimi would have died for no reason. She couldn't let that happen, not while she could prevent it. The same thoughts circulated in her mind, like a hamster on a wheel and fueled her with the energy to run fast enough for long enough.

Lights began flickering to life all around her, but with relief she recognized the hallway she was in. So close...so close. Just a little more to go, it wouldn't take long, almost there. That was when the system must have realized where Tak was and what she was doing. No more toying around now.

Acid, fire, burning. But that wouldn't stop her. Nope. No matter how much water that damn CPU pumped into the sprinklers above her, she couldn't be stopped. Not when she was so close. She grit her teeth and kept running, beginning to stumble now in the puddles below her. Dear Irk, it burned...it sizzled and fried, small smoke streams started to rise from her now cracked skin. If this was the planets only defense, it was weak. That's what Tak told herself. This was nothing...it couldn't stop her. The fact that she'd slowed down now didn't occur to her. She could see the door, it was right there. Why wasn't she there yet...? Limping and panting she stumbled over to it as best as she could, still believing, in her single-track determined mind, that she was running as hard as hell.

She pushed open the door...

…

Hot, pain, the sound of crackling and burning. Was that here or somewhere else? What was making that sound...was that pain...? Where was it coming from? The pain receded and Skoodge realized he was the one in pain...that the sounds were coming from him...they were the sounds of pain. The sounds of cold, heartless metal being heated to glow blindingly white...and pierced into his flesh. More pain... But was it really pain? It was really the sound of death...coming so much closer...just edging, inch by inch, so slowly. It was calling for him, and he wanted so badly to answer that call...to fall into the dark abyss of oblivion forever, so long as it would end this pain. But...

...there was one thing left...he couldn't leave...not yet...

…

"Skoodge?" Tak called, a faint, pain-filled smile lightened on her face. The room smelled of pain and blood, sweat and torture. But that didn't matter so much...not now.

He was missing an eye...either that or it was swollen shut, in Tak's condition she couldn't quite tell. He was horizontal and there was metal nearby...but she ignored that...it didn't matter. What mattered was the tear-filled face staring at her with happiness and pain so clearly etched in his features.

In her happiness at finally reaching him, she didn't realize that she'd stopped walking. Even so, she took a small step forward, nearly falling. Water puddled at her feet, flowing in from the downpour in the hallway. It slid under her boots and made standing harder than it had to be. Droplets of the poison found their way through the gaping doorway and onto Tak's back and neck, making her wince in pain. She took another step, a bigger one, and actually did fall.

It couldn't be...he stared and watched as she simply stood there, he was right. She did come. Tak did come. And she was here! She was right here! When she fell, Skoodge did his best to move, he was on the floor, so he crawled, making his way slowly. The machines did nothing, they knew what was coming, as did he. The machines and cameras just watched and waited.

Though the fall had hurt, the water hurt more. Tak pushed herself up slightly and dragged her hurting and tired body forward, forcing it to work. In her work, she saw that Skoodge was coming too. So great, so great to just see him again...to see that face smiling at her...letting her know she'd done good. She stretched out towards Skoodge, her hand falling next to his face in her vision, letting her imagine that she was touching his face. Her body stopped moving, refusing to work. The poison started setting in and went even deeper than skin...deeper than blood. Her mission was done...she smiled and closed her eyes...simply feeling the moment.

Skoodge kept trying, but she was just so far away, and she'd stopped going. He struggled and pulled, but it was tough. He stopped and reached out his hand towards her outstretched one, just barely touching her fingertips with his. The calling was so loud now, so deafening. Earth-shatteringly deep calls resounding in his mind, so loud that he didn't notice the sound of Tak's breathing stop. Soon enough his own breathing stopped. He no longer focused on the calling of death, but on the feeling of Tak's fingers under his...just knowing she was nearby...it made the feeling of dying less painful. A light smile found its way to his face as pain set in and his mind quit working.

The sound of sprinklers in the hallway stopped and soon enough the only sound was that of the CPU's running.

…

…

Darkness...it was growing...spreading... Somewhere within that darkness however...was a light. Some source of hope in the distance. A small promise of life. Some sound far away...but what the hell was it... Too tired to decide now. Focus more on the light...the good feeling that felt more solid now...more real. Some sense of reality among the dark confusing things. Hold on to that...the solidity...the confirmation of something beyond despair and pity.

Warm...that's what this was. Suddenly in comparison everything else felt so cold...so abandoned of life...empty. Good thing the warmth was slowly spreading... Teasing and pulling at the painful dark-covered cold. There was that sound again...what was it anyway...? Still too tired...not enough energy to decide...sleep...sleep was good again...it felt so good. So welcoming...warm and...fuzzy feeling. Like a small nearby light that assured darkness would not reign. That was good...felt good...so very good.

…

…

…

…

A/N

You all can proceed to kill me dead now.

...okay, still alive. Um...I had this planned for quite a while actually. Very sorry...I almost cried writing this. Even though it's the destruction of two beloved characters, I hope their death can be seen as somewhat beautiful. I do. But I'm a dark, cynical, death-loving person... Anyone remember the DBZ episode in season one, Trouble in Arlia, yeah my fav episode, but yeah, kinda the inspiration for the end of this chapter. I gave a little hope at the end though, so it's not quite so bad! Not hope for Tak or Skoodge...but...yeah. I think I'll miss them...but it had to be done...

Original concepts mostly credit to NikkiNaive (spelled right?). Thanks a lot to ngrey651 for letting me use his BINED and Invader Darth. uh...heh heh, sorry about it going explodey and all. I blame Mimi on that one.

Uhm. Yeah. Soooo. Yeah. I miss Sparky...a lot. Life just isn't the same without her eating lunch across from me and complaining about everything in her cynical, yet uncaring way...damn age difference. Is probably why this chapter is kinda dark. I dunno. I've had so many energy drinks today...I can't tell anymore. I'm going to bed before I die. At least it's friday...sleeping in...hell yeah. My head hurts...so much homework...so many drunken football players on my floor...loud...blech... (died)


	9. Lies

Chapter NIN: Lies

This feeling...warmth...life. Was it really deserved...? Why? Why was it coming back? What was there in the world that needed him...he wasn't needed...Better off dead. He'd already caused so much destruction...he deserved to go to hell...

...

This planet's atmosphere was dense and moist, just barely managing to sizzle his skin & seep into his clothes enough to make the fabric rough against him. The dark moon was setting over the even darker horizon, on the opposite side of him the Tszunarian sun rose, bringing with it a new type of darkness. It was a bright dark that cast the world into a sea of sepia tones. In this sea of bleakness, the natives stood out in highlighted colors, making them easy targets for the invading Irken soldiers.

A splash of bright pink flooded and flowed beneath his boots. Two of the natives were bleeding on the leaves and foliage, staining them with pink and neon green. The Irken who'd gunned them down stood idly by and watched as they reached towards each other, their hands nearly touching, but not quite. Using a boot, the Irken assured that the aliens had no contact with one another. They both gave out pained sounds as he snuffed them out with his gun, their cries and movements slowly fading away.

...Why...

The question made itself known for a moment before fluttering away due to 'advanced' pak programming.

...Should've thought longer...should've realized.

_Too late, Zimmy, deeds already done._

Why though...

_Because you are a ruthless, soulless thing._

No, Dib says I have a soul...I have one!

_No, dear Zim, you really don't._

Why not, I want one, too.

_Because of the things you've done, you don't understand, you don't deserve a soul, anymore...Not that any Irken ever did in the first place._

Then why...

...

...

"_I'm sorry..." Dib said._

_Zim didn't reply to his apology or even acknowledge it. He'd have looked over at Dib, but that would take energy and he didn't want to waste something like that. "I knew you'd come..." Zim said simply. It was a repeated thought...the only one he could think right now. _

"_What?" Dib asked. _

"_I knew you'd come get me...we're friends now...remember. And if anyone's going to capture me...it's you..." Zim said weakly._

"_Come on Zim, we're busting out of here."_

… … … …

_Pressure started ebbing away from his chest. Good, he thought, he still couldn't breathe, but maybe the pain would go away if the pressure did. It didn't. But it did start getting darker, and the yells became more distant. Now Zim could sleep. He didn't know why, but sleep seemed to sound so good right now. _

_"ZIM!" A yell woke him. he shuddered, the pain was worse with air colliding into it. "Zim! Don't give up...not yet, not now!" The yelling was so close now. It was Dib, Zim realized. Maybe Dib could make the pain go away, make it better. _

… … … …

_"You really should have a better defense," Dib suggested. Zim shrugged, not even looking at Dib._

_"Zim," Dib said, getting his attention, Zim glanced over for a moment before going back to work. "Zim, there are people coming to kill you right this moment, we need to get out of here."_

_"What are talking about, Dib-stink?" Zim asked. "Gir!" Zim yelled, not even letting Dib talk first. Gir showed up immediately, bits of waffle on his mouth. "Take the smelly human out of here, now."_

… … … ...

"_Zim, come on. It's the last day of Skool before summer, you can't just not come," Dib called down to him._

"_ZIM shall not be subjected to the WETNESS!" He yelled from below. Dib was getting frustrated. Sure it was raining, but not very much. Why did it bother Dib so much to know that Zim wasn't going to be at Skool? It wasn't like he cared. It was good if Zim stayed here, so Dib could spy on him more. _

"_Zim…" Dib said quietly, then his words came out before he could even think about them, "You can stand under my umbrella." This made Zim and Dib both go into silence, thinking about that. Finally Zim came up, disguised and ready. _

"_Umbrella?" Zim asked. At the prompting, Dib pulled it out. A huge black thing, something he'd managed to get from Gaz once. It was big enough to shelter them both, that way Zim wouldn't just take it from him. "Pfff, fine," Zim scoffed, letting Dib lead him out the door. "I suppose that horrid screeching woman would be displeased if ZIM weren't there," Zim said._

… … … …

Why would a smart human...the smartest human on Earth, want to save Zim...a heartless and soulless being...?

_He's simply using you. Using you for his own desires. Think about it, Zimmy...think very deeply about it..._

… … … _..._

_Dib nodded nervously. "Why'd you help me?" Zim asked. Silence answered him. Dib was confused by his reaction, it wasn't what he expected._

"_I-I don't know…I wanted to keep you alive…for you know…experimenting…" Dib said. "But why aren't you mad?" He asked like Zim was crazy, which he probably was._

_Zim shrugged. "We were enemies then. I would have done the same you know." Zim gave a small smile to show he wasn't at all mad. _

"_Oh…You mean…try to kill me?" Dib asked, scratching the back of his head._

"_Well yeah. But I mean the other part too…saving you," Zim said._

… … … …

"_Give Zim one reason to stay…" Zim said, not saying if he'd stay if there was a reason, simply demanding a reason. _

_Dib thought hard about that. Thought about something that might convince Zim not to go and die. "Zim I…I need you here…" Dib admitted. He was admitting it to himself and to Zim. He hadn't realized it, but there it was, and it was true. If Zim were gone, what would Dib do then? _

"_You need my base, my Irken equipment. No one needs Zim…" He said sadly, gazing off at a wall, a far away expression on his face. _

"_No…when you're base is empty…so am I…I don't need your base…or your equipment. I could care less what race you are, or what species…I need you…" Dib choked out, he was near-tears now with realizing so much. Dib wasn't really heartless at all, and neither was Zim. They were both alone…but when they were around each other, neither was alone anymore. He didn't know if this small admittance was enough to keep Zim grounded to earth, so he just stepped away from the cruiser and looked away at the ground, letting Zim leave if he chose. _

_There was silence for a moment as Zim stood still. Suddenly Dib felt Zim move a little. "Zim needs Dib too…" Then he heard Zim walking away, back to the base. _

… … … …

This is real... Whatever it is...it's not on Irk.

_Why is this important? Irk is better in that silly emotions like this are eradicated._

...They're not silly...

_You used to think they were, did you not?_

...Did I...?

… … … …

_Zim placed the parts on a bench and went back to his monitor. Why had Dib looked at him that way? What had that look in his eye been? Dib really was acting strange, asking pointless questions. Zim looked back to the monitor, decided that this was more important than what the Dib was up to. _

… … … …

_Zim simply couldn't understand this compassion thing. A person feeling bad because another person felt bad. It didn't make any sense to the Invader. Once he found compassion and friendship being related to comrades on a battlefield, Zim began to get it a little more. It seemed to fit with Dib. They almost seemed like comrades now. Zim could refuse to believe it and deny it to the boy…but the human had saved his life. And now Zim sheltered him in his base. He had planned on spying on the human, but figured Dib wouldn't dare try anything while in enemy territory. _

_He'd been right, Dib was pretty dormant lately. Zim had checked the security cameras set up all around the house and saw that Dib had only been doing silly human things. And what had Zim been doing? Researching more about the humans and their ways. _

_Dib was smart. If he'd wanted to capture Zim, he would've by now. To Zim, this only meant one thing. It meant that, perhaps, Dib and Zim were friends. What was it like to have a friend? Zim hadn't ever had one. Since his first training, he'd been sent away to Vort, where he'd been mostly isolated. From then on Zim was mostly alone. He wondered if other Irkens had been alone as he was. _

_Zim suddenly found himself questioning what other Irkens lives were like. Maybe they weren't all about war and taking over. What if other Irkens had compassion, what if they had friends…did they love? Zim started vigorously looking these things up in the computers database, when that failed, he turned to the earth's "internet". He wondered if, maybe, Dib could be a friend of his already…maybe something more than that. _

… … … …

_What about Dib? Had he been hurt in the ambush? Did that matter either? It did…or not. Zim couldn't decide. Dib was the enemy…or was he a friend? If Dib was the enemy he would have been the one to plan the attack…if he'd planned the attack, then he would have let Zim know it was him afterward. So Dib was a friend? Yes…Zim hadn't seen him yet, so Dib was friendly._

… … … …

_The Dib was on the couch, sleeping. The TV made a glare across his glasses. Gir had left it on the angry monkey show again, only now Zim had it muted. Dib was sleeping on his couch…and for some reason he didn't mind. He knew he should be angry, but Dib had done so much now…even Zim couldn't deny that Dib had saved him twice now. _

_Dib looked so comfortable, which was strange. Zim was used to Dib being tense around him, of course Dib didn't know Zim was there. He was so relaxed, Zim just wanted to touch him…it made his `spooch warm…though he didn't know why. Humans seemed innocent, though primitive. The way they clung to each other... _

_Zim poked Dib in the head lightly, humans slept for a very long time. Zim didn't need to, because of his pak, thus why he was crouched before Dib, still poking him in the head. His head wasn't really so big. Zim didn't know why everyone said it was. _

_Zim sniffed Dib's arm, he didn't stink as much as he used to. Zim had almost gotten used to the suffocating odor of humans, and Dib had some of Zim's Irken odor rubbed onto him from staying in his base. Overall, Dib smelled quite alright. Zim liked Dib's smell, he wanted to bury himself in the intoxicating scent. _

… … … …

"_I like it, Zim," Dib commented. _

"_Yeah...me too," Zim whispered. Suddenly, Dib pushed his lips against Zim's disguised skin. "W-what's this..?" Zim asked. _

"_Shh," Dib told him. He put his arms around Zim. The alien snaked his around Dib too, wondering what to do. _

"_Is this a...friend thing...?" Zim asked, wanting to know if this was normal. _

"_No, but we're not really friends anymore, are we?" Dib said, then after a beat, kissed him, right on his mouth. Such warmth and ease...it amazed the Irken's mind that humans felt this way. Zim complied to Dib's kissing with his own, even going so far as to grope. Zim vaguely hoped Gaz wouldn't come down, but she was busy with her new game and knew she'd be stuck with it for hours. _

_Dib rubbed his head into Zim's chest, their arms still around the other. "We aren't friends?" Zim asked, slightly worried._

"_No Zim…we're more than that…" Dib said, a little breathless. Zim looked at him quizzically. "Zim…you know what you refer to as 'pig mate'?" Dib asked. Zim nodded. "I'm your pig mate…" Zim grinned. _

"_You're mine…I own you," Zim said. Of course Zim had to narrow everything down to ownership. But Dib didn't argue, Zim could own him forever._

… … … …

Emotions aren't bad...they're good. Dib likes them...he says they're human...

_What's so good about being human?_

They aren't heartless Invaders...that's for sure.

_You just say that. But you know they're lower life forms. Why do you care so much...?_

Because...Dib cares...more than anyone ever has.

… … … …

_Zim mumbled and opened his dull red eyes. "Zim…?" Dib whispered. _

"_Hn?" Zim breathed. Dib wrapped his arms around Zim tightly, crushing his face into Zim's chest. _

"_God Zim! You're such an idiot!" Dib sobbed into Zim. Gir squealed and ran away, leaving the boys alone together. Zim looked down at the human in his lap in disorientation. He smiled and ran his Irken hands through Dib's hair, rubbing his head. It seemed so right. _

_Dib sat up and crawled into Zim's open arms as they held each other. Dib nestled his head into Zim's chest, Zim's head resting Dib's head. "You know…your head's not so big…" Zim mumbled. _

_Dib laughed. "Yeah…you're completely normal Zim…I'm sorry," Dib apologized. _

"_I'm not normal…" Zim whispered. Dib looked up at Zim questioningly. "I don't need to be normal…"_

"_No, you don't," Dib said smiling. Zim smiling back softly. _

"_I can't be human…" Zim said softly, almost inaudible, "and I can't be Irken…" Zim looked at his own hand. "I don't know what I am, I guess I'm nothing…" Dib took Zim's hand in his own. _

"_You're mine," Dib said strongly, "And that's all that matters. I don't care if you're human or Irken or neither or both." Dib reached up to kiss Zim's antennae softly. "I always liked you better green anyway," Dib told him. _

"_You must be insane," Zim said in Dib's ear. Dib looked up at Zim, their eyes met. Dib pressed his warm lips to Zim's cold ones, They both felt such relief flood inside that they both felt it as they melted into each other. _

"_You know I am," Dib panted._

… … … _..._

"_Zim…why are you crying? And where'd your clothes go? You better not have gone stripping," Dib said teasingly. Zim just stood there for a moment then rushed into Dib's chest, burying himself deep, trying to forget the emptiness that had previously overcome him. _

"_Jeez, Zim," Dib sighed in a comforting tone, "I didn't think you'd even notice I was gone…" Dib wrapped his arms around Zim and held him close, assuring him he was real and not dead at all. Zim looked up, smelling Dib deeply. _

"_I thought you were dead…" Zim admitted. Dib looked taken back, but not overly surprised. Zim told Dib everything about how he and Gaz went out to find him. _

"_You…you did all that for me..?" Dib asked, he never knew anyone would do that much for him. Zim wiped all the wetness away from his face. _

"_It was empty…without you…" Zim whispered. _

… … … …

"_How long you wanna watch?" Zim asked, turning to Dib. _

"_Till it's over," Dib answered. Zim smiled at Dib as he scooted over into Dib's arms. He laid his head on Dib's warm chest. They continued to watch the storm. Zim knew now that earth was where he belonged, more specifically in this base, in Dib's arms. All doubt of not belonging there vanished. _

_When the storm finally died down, way later, they simply laid there, staring at the pitch black sky. Only the sound of crickets remained. "I'll have to kill those crickets," Zim whispered, sounding at peace while promising death. It made Dib laugh softly. _

"_No Zim," Dib forbade, hugging Zim a little tighter. After a while the stars came out again. It was a no moon night, so it was still dark. Zim snuggled closer to Dib, never wanting to let go. Dib held Zim tighter, promising he'd never let go, never let him be alone. Zim appreciated Dib being there. It really __was a nice night. What made them finally go inside was the bright red sun beginning to peak above the __horizon._

… … … …

"_It's okay Zim…you're home now," Dib said quietly, enjoying the feel of Zim's skin against his. _

"_Yeah…" Zim mumbled. He was so tired now. Dib was safe, he was safe. What else was there to do. Sleep, that was what he needed. Zim took Dib's hand and they went off to Dib's room. Dib laid down and let Zim curl up into him. Neither of them slept for a long time, but they both felt better, just being together. _

… … … …

"_I believe on earth it means a lot for one person to say to another person…words of…luuurv…so…" Zim struggled with what it was he wanted to say. "Dib, I…I," He looked up into Dib's hopeful eyes, the ones that always rescued him, the ones that always held him when he needed it, the ones Zim always looked to when he felt alone, and then when he looked, he didn't feel alone anymore. "Dib, I love you…" Zim said with as much feeling as he could. _

"_I love you too, Zim," Dib whispered._

… … … …

_It doesn't matter what the human thinks...you're still just a soulless monster._

But...no! I want one, too! I deserve a soul, too...

_Too bad, you're Irken, so you can't possibly have a soul._

So...I'm not an Invader anymore...and I'm not Irken anymore either! I'm...I'm just Zim...

_Are you sure you would give up Irkenhood for such a flimsy human ideal?_

I don't care anymore! Even if it's just an idea...It's better than any Irken idea!

_But Irk is so obviously better in every way. You've been saying so many years, even when all of Irk abandoned you...you still proclaimed it's greatness. _

… … … …

"_You can't win against them…you'll get killed…" Zim mumbled. _

"_No I won't Zim, is this because you're Irken?" Dib asked, getting angrier. _

"_Dib! The Irken armada is millions strong! Do you really think the tiny amount of humans and weak Meekrob can stop them?" Zim asked in a burst of volume._

"_Yes, we can Zim. Whose side are you on?" Dib asked, raising a brow at Zim. _

"_I…yours!" Zim said suddenly. Dib's eyes softened as Zim got frustrated with himself. "Dib, I know the Irken Empire…you can't win. The Meekrob…I don't know what they'll do with you once they find you but…it can't be good. They're just as bad as Irkens…"_

"_You're just saying that because all your life you've hated the Meekrob and every other species out there…" Dib pointed out. Zim sat back and shut his mouth, he'd hated the Meekrob all his life, but was that really why he felt so bad about joining them? "Thanks for the support Zim," Dib mumbled angrily. _

… … … …

I was wrong! The whole time, Earth was better! It still is! If it means I have a soul...if it means I still have Dib...Earth is always better, ten times better.

_Are you really so sure? Irk is all you've ever known, all you've ever served. You serve the machine, Zim, it's what you were made for._

The machine is dead! It's gone...It's inefficient...and earth is the replacement! Earth has always been better! Earth means love! And being together, not just being the same like a machine, but really together...

_You sound decided..._

I am...now I know I always have known, just...didn't realize it until now.

_... Good. ...Always good to be 100.10%_

Yeah...Who are are you anyway?

_Why, Zimmy...didn't you know? I'm you._

…

…

There was Dib's face, right up to his own face. But the mere seconds he was waking up weren't enough for him to realize that, thus Zim and Dib collided head-on, nearly breaking Dib's glasses as Zim jumped in alert at the sudden closeness to someone else. "Dib!" Zim yelled hoarsely, still up in Dib's face, and with still-numb arms, embraced the human and pulled him in as close as he could. Though, still weak from the nearly dying and what-not, all he managed was a limp hug. But the startled human took it, likewise wrapping his arms around the Irken and hanging on for life.

"Wh-What the hell..." Dib breathed in surprise and shock.

"Dib...I'm on Earth's side..." Zim struggled to say, his body wanting rest rather than the work is took to speak.

"I-I know that," Dib assured, maybe there had been doubts in the past, but not anymore.

"I want a soul..." Zim whispered, oddly quiet, despite their close proximity. "I...I want Earth...I don't want to be Irken..."

The air grew still, Dib had no idea what to say to that. never before had the alien made such a declaration. Even when fighting against the Irkens, Zim usually made it clear that they were better and had the upper hand. What made the arrogant little guy change so much?

"Why?"

"Huh?" flashbacks of his strange dream came forth and he was confused for a minute.

"Why don't you want to be Irken anymore?" Dib clarified, not daring to even move right now. The kneeling position he was in was beginning to hurt tremendously, but nothing, even pain, could make him upset this moment. He wouldn't be distracting the nearly mindless one below him when such an important question was posed. If he didn't get an answer while Zim was currently on the topic, then he might never get it.

The air was still and quiet as Zim mulled that over. He was Irken...a broken Irken, but from Irk nonetheless. What could cause him to be disloyal just now? Wasn't it nice to be part of the machine? "It's...the machine..." As Zim paused, Dib pulled away to watch Zim talk, he looked so lost...so tired of searching... "Earth...everyone's so close, we're so close, Dib...But Irk...it's closer...and farther away, too. I...I just want a soul, too, Dib. I don't wanna be alone... Can I have Earth now?" Zim asked. By the look in Zim's eyes, is was obvious he was losing grasp of reality again, slipping out of the conscious world.

"You do have a soul...and Earth is yours...It always has been. Earth is your home, Zim," Dib explained with a slight smile, hoping Zim was still lucid enough to hear him. a familiar grin donned the alien's face as he passed out again.

…

Even when the world is crashing down...he's still there... He's always there. Dib...why do you stick around...the both of us are going to drown at this rate...

_You'd like that, wouldn't you?_

What? Of course not!

_After all, if you're going down, shouldn't that rat, Dib go down with you?_

...No. If I go down...Dib should go on.

_And why, Dear Space-boy is that?_

Because...Earth needs him...

_So? Who cares about that?_

I care. Because Earth is my home now. And Goddamn it, we're gonna protect it!

_Oh really?_

Yeah! If I die, I'll die trying to save Earth! And when I die, Dib should go on. To protect our home!

_Is Earth really so important? Is it really so much better than Irk?_

It's much better. Trust me. I was left there to die by the Irkens, if they want me to die there, then I will. I'll die at my home, Earth.

_Then, so be it._

…

…

The world began to lighten once more. But this time, it wasn't Dib's face that welcomed him. It was a field, a huge meadow filled with white flowers. Everything was so bright and inviting. Though, the sky was filled with clouds. It looked like there was going to be a storm soon. "About time you came back." Zim whirled around to see Gaz standing among the flowers. She looked different. Her hair was slightly longer and she was wearing a knee length white dress that flowed with the wind. And...she looked so peaceful.

"Gaz..." He mumbled. She cocked her head and smiled.

"Hey, Zim," She welcomed, "I can't believe I'm about to say this...But I've missed you. Dib, too."

"..." This was really freaky. Who knew Gaz was capable of such kindness. "We...We've missed you, too. Especially Dib."

"Yeah," Gaz said, her eyes turning downcast. "I've been watching you guys."

"Zimmy!" Arms were thrown around him from behind.

"Wh-What the...Tak?" He guessed in surprise. Tak giggled and let go, coming around to stand next to Gaz. "What are you doing here?" Tak merely shrugged and clung onto Gaz, as if they were sisters. They almost looked like it, wearing identical dresses like that.

"She's come to join me...You'll be here too someday, but not today," Gaz explained.

"What is this place exactly?" Zim asked, looking around again.

"A good place," Gaz answered simply. "Do you remember your mission?"

"My mission?" Zim echoed. Gaz arched an eyebrow and Tak grinned at him. "Yeah, protect Earth...and Dib."

"Yes," Gaz confirmed, "And to protect Earth, you need to save my son. He's being held captive by the Meekrob."

"You need to get him quick, Zim," Tak said, "He's growing up so fast." Gaz nodded and leaned her head on Tak's.

"You've got your mission," Gaz said, smiling.

"Now, go," Tak said, touching his chest and shoving him backward without any effort at all, then the world spiraled away into a black abyss.

…

…

"Haha!" Nikki laughed loudly, pointing at her brother, "You screwed up!"

But all Zayn did was slowly turn to face her, a creepy grin donning his face. "Oh, _did_ I?" He asked. Nikki arched a brow and looked at the computer monitor.

"Yeah...you did," She said, observing the negative reaction. "Pretty badly, too."

"_Really_?" Zayn asked again, looking at the monitor as well. "I'd say not." With a grin he left, returning to his master.

The other sibling remained to stare at the screen. "What the fuck does he mean? Of course he messed up..." She said to herself.

"Dear Sister," Zayn called from the other room. "Our objective wasn't to kill him..of course." His voice echoed about the room. "Which is exactly why you weren't the one to operate the curse."

Rolling fury burst inside her. She'd worked so hard to get her revenge...to have it spoiled. Her anger was almost enough that the small computer room couldn't hold it all. "Now now, sister...don't get testy. You know that our organization doesn't work that way...the master, Kaito, doesn't like it." Zayn chastised from a safe distance.

She only scoffed at that, pacing in the small, dark room. "If master is so kind then why did he kill that girl, Gaz?" Nikki asked, wondering what good doing that could possibly serve.

"She was too evil," Zayn answered easily. "Her power outweighed everything else...and that couldn't be allowed."

"Then why not kill Zim?" Nikki yelled, wanting so badly to smash in the computer screens. "He's bad too!"

"But he's not evil, and neither is he very powerful in this war," Zayn told her, his voice moving from place to place around the room. "He has a very important connection, though...one that may solve everything. He isn't enough to decide the entire outcome of the war, but enough to strengthen Earth's defenseless side."

"..." How could she possibly argue with that. With non-logic, of course. "So the fate of the world is more important than _my_ revenge?" Nikki asked, stopping in her pacing. "I don't think so."

"Yes...the fate of the Universe...is much more important than your revenge, sister," Zayn said flatly, "This is exactly why we don't let you play with the controls...anymore..."

"You have to admit though, London was pretty fun," Nikki said, smiling in the memory of such beautiful chaos.

"...Yeah...yeah, that was pretty fun," Zayn said, she could just hear his grin, "But that's not what we're supposed to use the Time Lord's power for...and you know it."

"I was _bored_," Nikki said, as if that were a perfectly understandable excuse.

"I honestly don't care," Zayn said without empathy, "Touch the controls again and you'll never have that sweet revenge of yours."

"You're such a horrible brother!" Nikki yelled in anger. She could hear the footsteps of her brother leaving, which irked her. "This is all your fault anyway!" And it was...it was his fault that they'd ended up in an Irken prison...where she met Gaz, and where Kaito first picked them up.

Loud, annoying rings interrupted her cynical thoughts, along with flashing red lights. All the security cameras proved the same thing...The Master hadn't been lying when he said there was another Time Lord in this Universe. But...this one had a bow-tie...not very cool at all.

…

…

…

"Master..." Zayn said, watching the blue-haired man carefully.

"Well, we were warned...it seems this _Master_ Time Lord of ours knows what he's talking about," Kaito said, observing the screens and waiting for The Doctor to make his move.

"Looks a tad different from the description..." Zayn noticed. This person wore a bow-tie and suspenders...and the woman at his side was a ginger.

"Yeah, but that's him, alright," Kaito said, "I've heard that Time lords regenerate into new bodies when they _die_...must have happened to this guy, too."

"He looks...odd..." Zayn said, watching The Doctor jump around as the ginger followed him.

"It doesn't matter..." Kaito muttered, "As long as he has the power of Gallifrey..."

"Yes, of course," Zayn agreed.

…

…

Back To The Main Program.

…

Aliens on a foreign planet selling goods were not very forgiving, as it turned out. Dib promised he would never leave the ship again as long he didn't have to a Joozian with so many Jaggons again... he shuddered as he entered the ship with the few goods he was able to get. "Oh, hey, Zim," Dib said, putting down the crappy goods. Zim was up again and currently playing around in Gir's head as Gir sang the doom song quietly to himself.

"Hey..." Zim mumbled. As Dib sat next to him, Zim let Gir run free. "I saw Gaz..." Zim mumbled quietly.

"What? When...what do you mean?" Dib asked, taken completely by surprise by Zim's statement.

"I dunno...I saw her in this field...of flowers..." Zim said, looking off into space. "And Tak was there, too. They told me to remember the mission..."

"..." Dib scooted closer to Zim. "And what's the mission?"

"...To save Earth," Zim said, more sure of himself. "But first...we need to get Miz."

"Gaz's son...Miz," Dib said quietly, "Yeah...we will."

"And then Earth," Zim said, turning to face Dib. There was unmistakable confidence in Zim's eyes and determination that Dib hadn't seen in a long time. "Our home."

That last bit made Dib smile, despite the tough situation, what with the world and his nephew being in danger. "...and then our home," Dib whispered, taking hold of Zim's hand. That night they took advantage of what would probably be the last relatively peaceful night they would have together.

The stars and their systems were completely different on this planet, so they made up their own constellations. Each constellation had it's own story and shape...and soon the whole sky told a never ending story.

…

….

A/N

I really like that last part, hope you all did too. This chapter took a lot of copying and pasting and rewriting and such and such, so I hope it's still good after all of that. Oh, and bow-ties are cool...so are fez's...I don't care what anyone says. : ) anyway, hope someone catches the South Park reference, it's really really vague. Alrighty then. With the exception of the upcoming chapter, cause I wrote most of it already, the plot is going to go a lot faster now, hopefully.

Oh and I might should mention, in that scene where Tak and Gaz talked to Zim, yeah, Skoodge was there, too, just not exactly there at that moment. He wasn't really a part of that scene, but yes, he and Tak 'went to the same place' and whatnot. I imagine that Tak and Gaz would be great friends actually, even the original characters from the show, because they both hate basically everything. They'd both think that the other is stupid, yeah, but they'd be friends. Just my opinion on that.

About the chapter name. I know it doesn't have much to do with this actual chapter, but 'Lies' is often something that Zim says in the show. And I guess Zim's confronting the lies he tells himself. And also I am a liar. :P although she disagrees, I accidentally lie to my sister quite often. This chapter is sortof for her. Sorry I lie so much, sis!

Thank you so much for reading! Please review, it would make my week. : D and for every review I get, Gir gets a new video game, Do Not Deny Gir Games! :) KThnxBye


	10. Rise

Chapter Ten: Rise

Life...flooding...filling the core. A warmth, a being, something resonating inside. Ideas...languages, cultures, everything. God, Vishnu, Azshara, Gallefrey, Gorgons, Borg...Bigfoot. Knowledge of everything...the world...the Universe. The mind that had formed so freshly...overwhelmed by the enormous pressure of so much information...A mere human mind could not contain such power...and it cracked.

...

"Welcome, young one," An old voice called out, sounding rusted and cracked, "To Aperture Science Enrichment Center." He sat up and looked around at the hotel-like room, noticing the age and decay on the walls. "You have been in suspension for...two hundred seventy days. Please seek attention from an Aperture Science Re-Integrator." The speaker from above shut off suddenly and the sound of something breaking far away sounded.

"The hell..." He moved around the room, the floor boards creaking ominously. As he wandered closer to the door, he passed by a mirror. For some reason...part of his hair was grown differently, it was stuck up into a scythe looking pattern. Disregarding this, he kept moving towards the door, unsure what lay beyond it. Just as his fingertips brushed the door...it burst open on him and a large sphere device on a railing pushed up at him. In surprise, he backed away and hit the dresser.

"Oh, hey, subject N-1...didn't know you were up already..." A British voice called from the sphere. Something in the back of his mind told him it was a core...a core in charge of human subjects. Subjects for what though...? There was so much information...it was hard to grasp on to what he wanted to know. Or was it what he wanted to remember? Did that core just call him N-1? "Iiiii meeean, oh great! You're up already!" It covered quickly. "Say...do you know what happened to this place...? It seems like no one told me..." It said, sounding quite annoyed. He wasn't surprised, who would want to talk to this stupid core. From that mass storage in the back of his head came the knowledge that this core went by the name Wheatley and that it was quite idiotic...it wasn't a wonder that this place had fallen into ruin after GLaDOS was deactivated...with only insufficient cores like this. GLaDOS was much better, having been created from a living being.

...How did he know all of this...

"So...you're not answering..." Wheatley observed, the large blue center that held a video recording device that was much like a large eyeball was trained on him. "Well...you _have _been in suspended animation for...about nine months...so, brain damage isn't _completely _out of the question." He was actually surprised he wasn't dead. Something told him this core, who was in charge of the human subjects, was used to the subjects suddenly dying.

"I don't think that's likely..." He answered, glaring up at Wheatley.

"Oh, good! You're talking," Wheatley exclaimed, making happy motions...as happy as a sphere on a rail can look. "Which means you _probably _don't have brain damage...maybe. Anyway, I need you to do me sort of a favor." He knew this would probably be an extremely easy thing...knowing Wheatly. Wait...he didn't know the core, though...they'd only just met. So... "There's this thing called a Portal Gun-"

"And you want me to find it...?" He guessed.

"That's the spot, N-1," Wheatley commended. "Now...just through that door there." He motioned with his...sphere...to the left, away from the door where Wheatly originally came from. A hidden panel opened to reveal a dark passageway. Nothing could be seen. N-1 tried to pull information from his 'memory' but nothing was coming up about this. What could that mean...? "Yeah, so...just through that door...not a big deal, just...walk over to it. I mean...I know you don't have brain damage now so..."

"Yeah, yeah," N-1 replied, beginning to make his way to the panel. He knew if he didn't do something, then Wheatly would just rattle on to himself. Which could be so annoying. Not that he knew...cause they only just met.

"And...sorry," Wheatly called out as N-1 passed into the secret hallway.

"Why would you be-" And the panel shut itself tight as the floor simultaneously gave out under him, landing him in some strange room. There was a strange device on a podium and several lasers coming out of walls. On the wall beside him was a huge, brightly lit screen. It had a large number one, with 01/99 under that, with several gorish pictures of bad things happening to stick figures lit up underneath. The only picture that was dim was one of a button and an arrow above it. "This...doesn't seem good..."

"Welcome, new test subject," A female, mechanical sounding voice called out. "Are you ready to test?"

"...Test...?" N-1 asked. All of a sudden everything became clear as information flooded to the forefront of his mind. A terrible place called Aperture where supposedly humane research had gone on...when really it was so much farther from that. Test subjects were put under horrible conditions and most often died...not even from remaining in suspended animation for too long...that would have been a much more pleasant death, for sure. But what he found interesting was what he 'remembered' about a certain Artificial Intelligence. "You're GLaDOS...aren't you?" He asked, looking at the portal device that lay on the podium.

"Smart one, aren't you. Don't worry, we'll fix that in a test later," She said sadistically. "Yes, that's my name. Do you remember your own name?"

He was about to say loudly that he did remember and state his name...but no name came to mind. A strange mechanical laughing was coming from the speakers. "You can't remember. In fact, you shouldn't even have memories," GLaDOS teased.

"What are you talking about?" N-1 asked, not revealing that he really didn't have any memories before waking up to the sound of Wheatly being stupid.

"You're more stupid than I thought...maybe using you for testing won't be as fun as I thought," GLaDOS sighed dejectedly. "You, N-1, are a clone. You never had a life, you never grew up, never had pleasant memories or a family." The last part seemed to make GLaDOS happy. "So technically you're adopted.

"A clone..." N-1 echoed, looking around the room.

"Yes," GLaDOS said simply, growing bored with talking. Being a clone explained a few things. Except for this knowledge...how did he know about Wheatly and GLaDOS before he'd met them. How he knew about Aperture...about the outside world as well. "As a test...and just for fun...to screw with you, basically, we pumped as much information into you as we could. Information about the entire Universe. I want to see what it'll do to a weak little human mind like yours."

"...That's evil..." N-1 replied.

"Whatever. I call it science," GLaDOS said. "And it wasn't me who came up with the idea, either. Some little robot brought DNA to us. An Aperture station on another planet, actually. It wasn't even really DNA, more like...you...as a tiny little cell just forming. A clone."

"What was that robots intent when it brought me to you?" N-1 asked, wondering if this new robot mentioned was also evil, or just plain stupid. Probably both.

"How should I know? I don't care. All I know is that we've got a clone. And clone's don't technically count as people anymore. So we can do whatever we like to you," GLaDOS said, with an evil tone to her artificial voice. Shit, she's right, N-1 thought, I've got to find a way out of this place. "Now, I'm tired of waiting. Get that Portal Device...and begin the testing," She demanded.

... The gun fit perfectly in his hand, the device locking itself onto his arm. This test seemed fairly easy...but he was sure as he ran through them...GLaDOS would surely make them far more difficult.

"Hey...if you finish quickly...maybe I'll even let you have cake later."

N-1 didn't have to think hard to know this was a lie.  
...

Skyscrapers and towering buildings covered this planet, and in between the massive buildings were floating islands also filled with smaller buildings. The entire planet seemed to shine with dull gold and silver. Rather than glass, like on Earth, all the buildings were made from various metals, seeming to be patch-match and mismatched. The sky was semi-filled with smoke and smog from factories. But there was a sort of beauty to all the chaos.

Just as they were preparing to land, the guidance systems built into the ground lead their ship into a docking station atop one of the floating islands filled with machinery. Dib took a few steps and couldn't speak, too overwhelmed by the sheer awe of the planet. It was far beyond anything he'd imagined. "Yup," Zim sighed, coming out of nowhere to lean against Dib's side. "Pretty awesome the first time, huh, my delicious Dib..."

"Delicious?" He might not be able to comment on the sight of the planet, but that new name deserved some questioning.

"Nothing," Zim said quickly and pointing off in the distance, "Hey, is that a mechanical windmill over there?" He knew it was, and it cause Dib to look and be distracted, meaning: Zim wins.

"Hey...it is..." Now Dib was busy staring again and Zim took the opportunity to grope as he wished. At the moment it didn't matter, Dib wasn't ready to negotiate when he was still awed by their planet, he'd be distracted the whole time. So rushing him to get to the council was out of the question. So what else was there to do while Dib got over his fascination? Take advantage and touch where he knew he wouldn't be allowed to later. "Hey...quit that," Dib mumbled, finally taking notice.

"But...look at that cool thing...over there...at that one place," Zim rambled. It worked and Dib peered off at the horizon and spotted a different floating isle, this one housing a series of spiraling buildings. 'Heh, didn't even have to point this time,' Zim thought to himself as he continued along his business, eyes closed and relaxed.

"Irken Soldier! You are in violation of the Arlia-Irk neutrality pact! Put down any weapon and _do not_ use your pak!" A British female voice called from a few feet away. Both boys turned to see a young woman clad in black body armor and gas mask. Blonde, tangled hair could be seen at the sides of the mask. "In the academy, when they said expect anything...I bet even they didn't expect _this_..." The girl said slowly as she lowered her gun. A small breeze brought the smell of machinery and caused the knee-high grass beside them to sway.

"...What...what should we do?" Dib whispered.

"I don't know..." Zim answered.

"Who is that?" Dib asked, watching the blonde, human-looking woman.

"I...I think it's an Arlian warrior..." Zim said, looking at the woman's massive weapon.

"Should we...attack her...?" Dib asked, finally noticing the huge, revolver-like gun.

"...No...no, we shouldn't kill her. Cause then the whole planet would want revenge...and wouldn't it be a shame to have to wipe out a whole planet...?" Zim bluffed.

"Yeah, totally, "Dib agreed, "It'd waste a whole planet full of cool stuff..and it'd waste our time...but just a little of it."

"Plus, we have to go get Miz anyway...we don't have time to play on a planet like this..." Zim said.

"Right, we've got to save Earth...maybe we can come back later and deal with her..." Dib said.

"Totally..." Zim agreed. Neither of them said anything about how trapped they were or that they were cornered with no weapons other than Zim's pak. Neither moved even an inch, simply bluffing out their asses.

"Hey, you two!" The warrior called out, seeming to get impatient.

"What do we do?" Dib asked.

"Tell her we're not attacking," Zim said, "but you tell her. She wouldn't believe me." Dib swallowed his fear and took a step towards the warrior, having to untangle Zim's arms from himself.

"Hey, we're not attacking you, okay," Dib said, his hands shaking.

"That's all you've got?" Zim whispered, hiding behind the human, using him as a shield and peeking over Dib's shoulder at the warrior. The feeling of Zim's antennae lightly brushing his hair was distracting and Dib had to take a moment to remember what he was going to say.

"Um! We're here cause...An Irken named Tak sent us! We- We're trying to protect Earth...That's all!" Dib explained.

"..." The Arlian warrior mulled that over. Dib couldn't tell who the warrior was looking at, maybe both of them. "Why would an Irken protect a planet other than Irk?" she asked suspiciously.

Now Zim came out from behind Dib and stood his ground before the faceless Arlian warrior. "Earth is my home," he said proudly. The warrior and Irken stared at each other before the warrior turned away.

"Whatever. I'll take you to our Council. They'll decide what to do with you then." With that said, she promptly turned and left, marching to the other side of the island.

"Heh, totally under control," Zim muttered as his hands began to wander again. Before he got anywhere Dib slapped his hands away.

"I told you to quit, we're being serious here," Dib scolded.

"I know, but all we're doing is following this wierdo," Zim said, motioning to the soldier marching in front of them. "Can't we make the journey enjoyable...?"

"Grow up, Zim," Dib said harshly, walking faster so that the alien was behind him now. "We're on a mission here, not just screwing around on various planets." A scowl made its way to Dib's face and he resisted the urge to turn around and see how Zim reacted. He didn't care at the moment. If groping and touching was Zim's way of dealing, then he'd have to find a new way.

With arms crossed, Zim let Dib take the lead. What was wrong with having fun while he could? Absolutely nothing. He hung at the back as the soldier let them to a sky bridge to another isle, gently sloping downward. They went silently from island to island until they reached the actual planet and were surrounded by tall buildings like towers. The rising sun caught the light and made the further off buildings shine dully. Even when they were mad, it was awesome to see. There were slanted windows in the buildings, but they seemed rusted and old. No other Arlians could be seen on the streets or in windows, the whole area seemed empty. Their boots clanked on the chrome sidewalk as they followed the Arlian woman who didn't seem at all surprised by the absence of life. "Where _is_ everyone?" Dib voiced, looking around. He noticed that Zim didn't seem surprised either, but didn't want to ask him at the moment.

"Underground," The warrior woman answered, "Celebrating our good fortune of being free from war." She said this in a bitter tone, as if she wished there was a war to be in.

"How good for you," Zim said, just as bitter.

"Um...where is this council anyway?" Dib asked, watching all the tall buildings pass by.

"In the tallest building in Arlia, not too far from here," The warrior answered, not saying anything more. The rest of the way there was no noise other than their footsteps. Not a bird or person, nothing. Eventually they came to a huge coppery building, it rose high into the smog out of sight. "Here we are," She announced as the Arlian thrust open the metal door. Pure darkness laid inside along with whatever dangers the planet provided. The warrior stalked inside and Dib followed reluctantly, Zim tagging along at the end, not worried at all.

They were led through the dark to a large silver elevator that took them high up in the building, to the top floor. The ride was completely silent, save for the rickety sound of the elevator mechanics. At the end, they came to a huge room with high ceilings, this place was dark as well. In the dim lighting, it was hard to tell what the place was meant to be. Just as Dib opened his mouth to ask, the Arlian raised her hand to quiet him. Slowly the room became lighter and three raised platforms were revealed. On them were two old men and one old woman, all hooked up to wires and machines inside their platforms. Mechanics covered nearly their whole bodies. So...this was the council.

"I've brought intruders," The warrior announced, none of the council moved, "An Irken, he is breaking the Irk-Arlia treaty-"

"Is he attacking?" The male on the left asked, his voice old and cracked, like sandpaper. He seemed like the oldest of the council.

"...No."

"Was he leading an army to our planet?" The woman in the middle asked.

"...There were no signals being broacast from their ship...and there are no other intruders within the peramiter..."

"Then, who's to say he is attacking?" The male on the right asked, sounding wise.

"But! He is Irken! He threatens our planet!" The warrior burst out.

"Anya, Anya, take off your mask, please," The oldest asked, kindly. He seemed so old and wise that no one would ever argue him. 'Anya' took off her mask angrily and threw it to the ground, she stood firm and erect, eyes blazing with hatred.

"These are outsiders, they don't deserve to be here! They're a threat to the peace we've held here!" Anya yelled.

"Oh? What were these 'outsiders' doing when you found them?" The old woman asked.

"...They were..." Anya seemed reluctant to answer, "Sightseeing..." Dib threw Zim a hasty glare before turning back to the scene before them.

"And why shouldn't they? Arlia is such a beautiful planet, after all," The oldest said, looking up in fond memory of the buildings.

"Please, Anya. Do not be so hasty to cause harm to others where it is not deserved," The woman chastized lightly, "This is what the Irken Armada has done, and they aren't in such good position now, are they?" Anya bowed her head, anger flowing away like steam. Zim's antennae twitched at the mention of Irk not doing good. Dib knew he wanted to ask what they meant, but Zim kept quiet.

"Yes, my council," Anya said, brushing her hair back.

"Poor girl," Said the man on the right, "She's only just entered the Guard and already picking fights with travelers." Anya blushed but said nothing.

"Yes, yes," The woman agreed, "Why we even have a Guard in such peaceful times, I've no idea."

"Where have the times gone?" The oldest asked, "In my day...well, in my day we needed a Guard...as well as a full army..."

"Yes, Thank the Mechanica that those days are long gone," The woman sighed.

"How are your travels going, young strangers?" The man on the right asked kindly, squinting to see them.

"Actually, if you're the leaders of this planet," Dib said, stepping forward, "We've come here for help."

"Help?" The woman asked, slightly higher pitched, as if she never imagined anyone would come for help here. "Help of what kind?"

"Well, you see..." Dib said, not sure how to explain the situation.

"Meekrob has captured royalty from Earth," Zim stepped in, looking down and away from everyone, "A rebel Irken pointed us this way. This has nothing to do with Irk or Arlia. Just Earth getting back what was stolen by the Meekrob."

The council took a moment to think that over. Dib watched their mechanics moving as they thought, all of it seeming to be connected in an elaborate way. Meanwhile, it was completely obvious that Anya was staring at Zim with her head cocked, not even trying to be the slightest bit discreet about it. Zim, on the other hand, refused to look up at the council or at Anya. Every once in a while though, he'd glance quickly at Dib, who was determined not to look over at Zim.

"We've decided to give aid to you," The woman announced suddenly. Anya broke her gaze away from Zim and back to the council, obviously enraged now. "We already know all about your situation with Earth and Meekrob."

"Yeah, Arlia can be a bit boring sometimes, so we use the drama between all the other planets as entertainment," The man on the right said, smiling.

"Yes, well, everyone else is celebrating, so Anya will show you to the C-Deck," The woman told them.

"Ugh, but why?" Anya whined.

"Dear, you're the one who brought them to us, accusing them of breaking a treaty," The eldest said, frowning a little, "It's the least you could do."

"...Yes, Grandfather," Anya said quietly, bowing a little. She bent and snatched up her mask, marching out of the room quickly, Dib and Zim following.

"He's your Grandfather?" Dib asked, determined to convince this girl that he, at least, wasn't evil.

"Well, not really. But we call everyone in the council Grandfather or Grandmother, because they run our whole planet and take care of us," Anya explained, seeming to calm down with the explanation, "So Grandfather is really just a sign of respect."

"Do you have any blood relatives?" Dib asked, trying to stay on the same line of conversation.

"No...they were all killed by Irkens," She said coldly with a harsh glare at Zim. There was nothing to be said about that, no way to apologize for something he knew nothing about, so Dib said nothing. They went all the way back to the surface and down a few blocks to an average looking building. It looked like brass and was fairly short compared to the sky scrapers all around it. They went underground here and finally reached their destination. A large room made mostly of silver and chrome. It was the brightest place they'd been, covered with bright spot lights that illuminated the wires everywhere. "Welcome to the C-Deck...home of our information centers," Anya announced dully.

At the back of the room was a long row of desks with computers and chairs, adding to the heap of wires. And along the walls were dozens of large screens, all displaying different types of data. Dib found a computer and started searching for information on Meekrob, Zim just stared at the screens, watching the stream of information.

Suddenly a door at the side opened and a tall man in a top hat stormed in. "I've been updated on the situation and there's no time to waste!" The man seemed all business and was moving quickly until he saw Zim and stopped. "So I see...I didn't believe it...but I suppose now I must..." Zim didn't even bother glancing his way, he seemed to be ignoring everyone. Dib's eyes lingured on him until the odd man with the hat walked up to him. "You're the human...from Earth. Good to have you upon our planet, my boy. You're truly invested in this mission, yes?"

"With my life," Dib said seriously.

"Good, good," The man said. He glanced in Zim direction and seemed like he was going to ask him the same question but thought better of it. "My name is AJ, I'm the military director here. It's good to have something worthwhile to do, for once." He seemed pumped for this, but Dib just stared.

"Let's get this show on the road, already," Anya moaned, tired of doing nothing.

"Right," AJ said and took up a computer of his own. "As you know, the so-called 'prophesy' that Meekrob has been advertising calls for your blood. I'm not sure if this child's blood would be the same or if they're only using him as a lure. Either way, you're sure as hell not going to be on planet Meekrob."

"What? Why?" Dib protested.

"The prophesy, lad. Whether it's real or not. You're their goal, and we can't have that," AJ said sternly.

"They'd capture you and kill Miz as soon as possible. If they knew you were on the planet, they'd probably kill Miz anyway," Zim said darkly, remaining in his corner of the room.

"Exactly right," AJ agreed. Knowing the odds were against him, Dib gave up the protest and kept researching. There was very little information here about Meekrob. "We'll send a team of our best for recon and keep you here. If recon fails, we'll try other methods."

"Who would we send?" Anya asked, leaning against the far wall. "None of us know anything about Meekrob. And with Arlia enjoying this peace, I doubt any of our soldiers would volunteer to go on a mission that has nothing to do with us."

"Good point..." AJ sighed, "We're a bit too shorthanded for that approach. Not to mention that it's too dangerous, with our minimal knowledge and inexperience with Meekrob forces...it's unhighly to work, too many casualities..."

"I'll go," Zim said quietly, not moving his gaze from the screens.

"Zim, that's insane," Dib sighed, "You're not going."

"I'm Irken, and thus raised to hate Meekrob, I know more about them than anyone on this planet," Zim said, sounding dead inside. "I know their wherabouts. And thanks to Gaz and her infiltration, I know their planet inside and out. I know their technology and weapons almost more than my own, and I wouldn't need a team...one other person, _maybe_."

"You heard AJ...it's too dangerous," Dib said, resisting the urge to get up and slap Zim. "You'd get killed."

"Wait a second. If what he says is true...it might just be possible," AJ said, getting excited again. "The mission just could go well."

"Now that's something worth doing," Anya said, standing up straight.

"But it's not guaranteed...and it's dangerous," Dib interjected, glancing from Zim to AJ and back again.

"Dib," Zim said quietly, Dib looked and Zim was staring right at him, looking right into his eyes. There, Dib could read it, what Zim had been hiding all along. He knew it would come to this, he understood. Zim was completely willing to give his life for this. He was strong. Dib just wished he wasn't.

"Fine..." Dib said, looking away from Zim. "Go...and bring back Miz."

"He'll be safe," Zim promised. AJ then started to ramble on about little details, ship flights, weapons, arsenel. Anya paid full attention, overly excited about getting to go on a mission, as thought she didn't understand the seriousness of it all, like it was a game. But the whole time Dib couldn't understand what AJ said, merely because he felt Zim's gaze burning on him the whole time. He knew Zim wanted him to look, but he simply couldn't.  
...

Standing over a large pile of robot parts and old cores, N-1 knew what to do. He'd always known what to do. And now he had to find the one he'd been cloned from. The large scythe of hair he'd had before was gone now, cinged off by a miscalculated laser. He didn't miss it, the thing had thrown him off balance a lot before. Now he had turret's armor strapped to his arms and legs, portal gun in hand. "Where's my cake?" He asked simply of the mechanical corpse below him. It didn't answer, if it had, then that would be a problem.

It wasn't too long before N-1 found the elevator shaft that led to freedom above. It was a long ride, but he'd waited a long time for this, so a long elevator ride wasn't exactly torture. The wavy grass and blue skies from Rattmann's stories was not what greeted him at the end. Rather, it was more mechanics and metal buildings, but more silver and brown than white. The place had a very dirty, grungy look about it. But he didn't let that get him down. He knew this was the surface, maybe not Earth as he'd liked it, but a new planet. Aperture Science moved some of their more 'inapropriate' testing to other sites...meaning other planets. GLaDOS thought of it as an expansion. Before N-1 demolished her, of course.

Now the hunt began, for somehow, he knew his 'clone' was somewhere in this foreign place.  
...

The Arlians were very hospitable. The rooms they were given were huge, and everyone left them alone to have time to themselves. Not that they used it. Both kept their distance from each other. Each not quite understanding the other. Anya had seen them before they asked for help, so she knew how they were. She convinced AJ and the other recruits to leave them to their rooms and let them discuss things together. But they didn't say a word, or even look at each other. That is, until one of them got seriously tired of being ignored so much.

Dib was on the edge of the bed, looking at an Arlian magazine filled with tech for sale, when Zim stood over him and stared him down. He looked up into magenta eyes and felt a firey anger surge up. "Why...?" He asked simply. One antennae raised in curiousity.

"Why what?" Zim asked back, still staring.

"Why did you tell them all of that...they didn't know anything. You could have told them you knew nothing...and you wouldn't be going on this mission..." Dib muttered, barely able to look at Zim.

"I want to go," Zim stated. Dib gave him a pleading look. "I was never able to help Irk...or Earth. Now's my chance to help. To save our home."

"But why do you have to go?" Dib asked, exasperated, "You could just give us the information and stay here." Zim shook his head.

"There's too much. I couldn't. I have to go myself," Zim explained, calmer than he'd ever been, "Besides...he's my family, too."

What could Dib say to argue that...? He struggled for several minutes to come up with a good reason for Zim to stay but failed. Eventually he gave up and simply wrapped his arms around Zim and buried his face in Zim's shirt. "...I hate you..." Zim just kept standing there, arms limp beside him. Dib didn't see, but his anntennae fell as he looked down at Dib sadly.

"I know. I hate you, too..." Zim sighed.

...

...

A/N Sorry it's been so long. It's thanksgiving, so I give this gift to you, as well as the promise that another is coming fairly soon. Happy Holidays. I hope you liked this gift, much more to be coming, for sure.

Side note. Lemon tea is the best tea in the world, I wish I had some right now. Ninty percent of this chapter was written in one sittdown, after midnight of course. and when I should be writing an essay. Lemon tea is really great. It's currently five o four in the morning. Goodnight. Or good day.

Please comment :P In the spirit of giving :D


	11. Meekrob

Chapter Eleven: Meekrob

It was done. Soon, Zim would leave with Anya for Planet Meekrob. And Dib would stay behind to help AJ with making a plan to stop the Irkens from blowing up Earth. "Peace has to be restored to the Universe, one way or the other," AJ had said, his face stern, like he was remembering harder times. So far, everything was set and ready. An Arlian ship was prepared with supplies and weapons. Needless to say, Anya was excited out of her mind to be going. She'd been jumping around all over the place, announcing to everyone she saw that she was going on a dangerous mission. Now she was waiting impatiently in the ship, calling to AJ through the speakers once in a while begging to get going. Now it was time...time for plans to be set into motion.

They were outside the loading bay, out of earshot of everyone else. Anya's words had spread around and now everyone tended to give them space when they could. Which was completely annoying, it wasn't like they were going to die or anything. Dib refused to look at Zim, refused to acknowledge his presence. And Zim just fiddled with straps on his uniform, still not looking at anyone else, either. A five minute time limit was announced, to which they could hear Anya celebrating. But it just made everyone else a little edgier. "I guess I'll see you when you get back," Dib muttered. Zim didn't say anything. "I'll see you later..." Dib said more insistently, willing Zim to say something.

"Dib..." Zim sighed with a tone that told Dib exactly what Zim was thinking.

"No," Dib demanded, "No. You're coming back. That's why Anya's going. So that you'll come back." He could feel tears coming on but pushed them back. He couldn't help it now, he had to look at Zim, to know whether this was real.

"...Dib..." Zim whispered.

"You're too smart to not come back. You'll outsmart the Meekrob and come back," Dib pleaded.

"That's not true. There's a reason the Irkens never took over Meekrob, Dib," Zim told him.

"...But you're different..." Dib said, starting to lose the energy to fight this.

"You're smart, Dib. Use that to make it...Use that to live," Zim said quietly, eyes not leaving the floor.

"...I won't live if you don't come back..." Dib whispered. The two minute mark was announce.

"This is war, Dib...we can't pretend it isn't dangerous. It's just safe to assume-"

"Assume what? That you're already dead?" Dib asked angrily.

"Yes."

"You're...you're dead..." Dib whispered, not able to grasp that concept. Now Zim looked up into Dib's eyes, and he could see it, see the reality. This really was war now."...I don't hate you..."

"I never hated you," Zim said with a sad smile. "But this has to end...we have to end it..."

"...I know...it's just..." Dib struggled for words. He didn't want Zim to go, but he knew there was no choice in the matter, this had to be done. "At least kill a whole bunch of them for me."

"Of course," Zim promised.

"Zim!" AJ called from the ship. "Let's go!"

"...Bye," Dib mumbled, brushing his fingers against Zim's as he walked past.

"Bye..." Zim whispered, sliding his fingers through Dib's, interlocking for just a moment before going over to where AJ was. Dib turned for a moment to see Zim getting in the ship and left, not looking back again. He knew what he had to do now.

...

"I can't believe it! A mission!" Anya exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. "I'm so excited!" Zim sat next to her in the round pod and started the engines. "Aren't you excited!" Anya asked.

"No..." Zim said strongly, not looking at Anya. She stopped bouncing a moment and glared at Zim.

"Spoil sport..." Anya muttered.

"Idiot," Zim retaliated. He wasn't in the mood for an overly excited little girl.

"Jerk," Anya growled, good mood completely wrecked now. Forest green met blood red as they glared each other down. "This is gonna be a long mission," Anya sighed, looking away.

...

The applause never ended, the fame, the fortune. After such a long and dreadful life of being used and abused, to hear such flattery made her feel like the princess she now was. She was only a replacement, but it was better than dungeons, so much better. Every now and again, during the parties and world conquering and high life...there would be...flashes. Everything would be okay, normal, the three of them laughing and cheering, drinking expensive imported materials. But then she would suddenly see darkness, grungy walls, flashing angry red eyes, bars, blood all over the stained and dirty floor. She would excuse herself from the room and question what she was doing, living it up with these fools. This wasn't her...not who she was or what she stood for. These tormentors and demons she now drank with and had good times with, how could she? But then she'd hear the laughter and remember her place, and get caught up in the meaningless drama of royalty.

Then they started watching old tapes. First they'd been watching people die hopelessly on Hobo 13...when a certain short Irken not-invader was seen. Tallest Red and Purple thought this view of him using his teammates to survive was too good, and so they brought out old tapes of his calls to the Massive. and it began. The flashes of her past life and thoughts reoccurred more and more often. Soon she wasn't even enjoying herself anymore. She was simply too horrified. It wasn't the tapes, but the Tallest's reactions to them. "Look at that failure, I'm so glad he's finally dead." "How did he die again?" "We sent him on a stupid mission to go kill the Meekrob leader!" "Oh yeaaaaah. How stupid of him!" The tape of him receiving this order was shown too. And she couldn't believe how cruel these 'leaders' were, purposely trying to kill one of their own. Especially a soldier as dedicated as this one. Sure he messed up a lot, well, all the time. But he could be trained. He could have beensomething. But now he was gone...destroyed by these fools. This simply had to come to an end.

"A party?" Purple inquired.

"Oh yes, a fabulous party. All the best are invited," She told them, "Actually, it's a party just for you too."

"Just us?" Red asked.

"Yes, just for you. I can't come or I would. Too much to be done over here at the Massive, you know," She lied, "Um...snacks to be ordered and such."

"Oh, that. We understand, Kita. Too bad," Purple said, entering the pod ship.

"Yeah, you're the life of the party," Red told her, following Purple.

"Oh believe me...I know," she said with a smile, "Have a good time." She waved at them and closed the ships doors. "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner," She said to herself.

She headed to the main room of the Massive and looked out at the galaxies in front of her through the windows. So much to do now. So much damage to repair.

...

The small pod they rode in was too small for them to really avoid each other, so they sat in uncomfortable chairs side by side. The hatch in front of them didn't provide a very large or spectacular view. For the most part they were surrounded by pointless equipment as well as crappy weaponry and tech below that of humans. It was a bit amazing that they even made it into space. The true reason Arlia was never under attack by Irkens wasn't the treaty, but the fact that they were never under war and thus had basically no weaponry worth taking. Sure they had some cool technology and architecture, but they had enough of that on Irk. So, because of that, the ride was so quiet. Neither of them liked talking. So they just looked out the almost view less window. At least, it was quiet until... "Hey...why do Irkens like killing so much?" Anya asked sarcastically.

"I don't know," Zim answered honestly. That kind of answer didn't satisfy Anya at all.

"Well, why do you love a human?" She asked, staring at Zim.

"I don't know," He said again.

"Why did you volunteer for this mission when you didn't have to?" Anya asked, getting more and more irritated.

"I don't know," He said, shifting his eyes to meet hers. "Why are you so annoying?"

"...I don't know," She said, simply to bug him, which it did. But he refused to show it.

"For this mission you need to be an adult for a while," Zim told her, looking away from her.

"I am an adult," She said strongly, offended by his words. She sat back in the chair and looked out the window. "...But, what do you mean...?" She asked, curiosity winning out.

"This is gonna be a difficult mission...try not to die, and don't get angry at the Meekrob," Zim warned her, it was best to let her know what she was in for, after all, Arlians were even more unfamiliar with war than humans.

"Of course I'm gonna try not to die," Anya said, peeved that she was told something like that. "And why would I be mad at them? They've never done anything to me...I'm not emotionally involved." She sat there a moment, glancing strangely at Zim. "And you shouldn't be either...seeing how Irkens don't have emotions."

"I have emotions..." Zim defended, "You're just a newbie...so I'm not letting you see them." Anya laughed harshly and glared at him.

"Please. Irkens don't have emotions, you're just lying to try and prove how awesome you are," Anya said, "Which it isn't working."

"I don't have to prove myself to you...Just don't forget the mission...Newbie," Zim said, folding his arms and glaring at the stars outside.

"I won't forget," She mumbled, also glaring outside.

...

"I just can't let him go off by himself like that," Dib mumbled to himself, "If he's gonna go...I'll just follow." Storming down the dark hallways, Dib didn't notice the stranger following him until the dark form was directly in front of him. "What the hell...?" This person was so familiar...

"Finally we meet..." The man hissed, a crooked grin broke out on his face as he chuckled lightly. "Do you know how much I endured to be here...?"

"...no...But I'm sure I don't care," Dib said harshly. This man was standing in his way, preventing him from being with Zim. The man stepped forward into the light and Dib saw his face...saw this person. "What the...who are you...what are you?"

"That's what I'd like to know," The clone replied. He was so identical, almost an exact copy of Dib. He seemed a bit banged up though. "But since I don't know what I am...I think I'll just take your place. If my information is correct, you're Dib, from Earth, into the paranormal, sister Gaz, deceased, and you yourself are about to be deceased as well. But don't worry," He flashed a grin, "I'll be here to take your place."

"Wha...no. Hell no!" Dib yelled. Whatever force created this thing, he sure wasn't going to let it kill him and take over. This was like some bad horror movie from the nineties

"Oh, you don't have a choice poor Dibby. You see, I'm simply one hell of a clone. I'm the stronger Dib. Time for you to be euthanized," Now the clone almost teared up, "Just like poor companion cube." He sniffed and lunged towards Dib.

[The number you are dialing has been disconnected. Please call again later for this epic fight scene. ... This just in, the line has been cut. Forever. No fight scene for you. Too bad.]

Dib, the real Dib, stood over the twitching body of his clone. He wasn't dead, just unconcious. Walking off, he planned on just leaving the body there for someone to find. "Wait..." He stopped and glanced back at he clone. "If someone finds him...it...they'll think that thing is me. Crap...I'll just have to take it with me."

Tying up the bastard had been the easy part, what was hard was dragging him all he way to the ship and into the cargo. Then there was dealing with Gir and the Computer. "MasUTAH!" Gir shouted, then he caught sight of the clone. "Bu...wha..." He kept glancing back and forth between Dib and the clone before his head popped off and rolled on the floor.

"Hm...that was easy," Dib muttered, shoving the clone into a small storage compartment and locking it.

"It seems you have a clone problem," The Computer commented. "I knew this would happen."

"You knew a crazy ass clone would show up and try to kill me? And you knew I would lock him up in a closet?" Dib asked, taking off, heading for Planet Meekrob.

"...Maybe not in so many words. But I knew Gir stole some of your DNA and handed it off to some crazy computer with cloning abilities," The computer replied.

"...And you didn't tell me?" Dib yelled, looking up at where, he thought, the computer lied.

"...You never asked," It said, seeming to like being difficult and mean.

"How Irken of you," Dib commented.

"I was made on Irk, you know. Not really an insult," It remarked.

"Whatever..." Dib pouted, "Anything else you haven't told me because I didn't ask?"

"Well...Gir poured maple syrup all over your bed and then covered it with feathers, in case you were wondering," The Computer said.

"...Isn't that just great..." Dib muttered, still pouting.

INTERMISSION:

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INTERMISSION OVER:

Heavy metal music pounded into Dib's ears. It was just barely enough to drown out the sound of the clone yelling and complaining. He was thankful that Gir wasn't able to undo the lock on the closet, or he'd have to lock Gir up, too. Gir probably wouldn't have minded that, though. Gir was so nice...unlike his master, Zim. Well, he wasn't mean exactly...just...why did he always go off and do things like this? Why couldn't they just live happily?

A memory from long ago surfaced. When Gaz had just become the leader of Earth and started to engage in war against other planets. Zim tried to tell him about this...he tried to stop Dib from going to earth. If only he'd listened. None of this would be happening. Gaz would probably still be dead, but she was probably fated to die just by being leader of Earth. Deep down...Zim just wanted peace...and Dib forced him to fight...they lost so many people now in such horrible ways...

Just as Dib was starting to linger in depressing thoughts, a flashing on the dashboard distracted him. They were approaching the planet. It was huge and blueish. The whole planet was simple one color, no oceans or seas, one whole continent. The swirling clouds of the planet were ominous and threatening. Dib almost conisdered leaving, but Zim was bound to be somewhere on this planet, so he was going to find that idiot and bring him home.

...

The planet of Meekrob was a dreary place. Bluish smog made up the atmosphere and hid the planets features from view. As they landed though, giant stone fish could be seen jutting from the ground.

"Wow!" Anya exclaimed with her face pressed against the hatch window.

"Move your ass, I need to see to land," Zim muttered, nudging Anya out of the way. She glared at him but moved.

"Where is he, our little prince?" Anya asked quietly.

"I'm not sure, probably deep within the planet," Zim mumbled, thinking his whole plan over.

"How do we find out?" Anya asked. She was still skeptical of Zim's 'soldier abilities' when it came to missions.

"I have a source," Was all Zim would say about it.

All was silent as the ship settled, both thinking about the mission and how it would go. The calm before the storm. Literally. Once the hatch was opened, a gusting wind broke over them, shrieking and calling. It was loud visually as well. Dust and mist was blown everywhere, even into the ship; the barest outlines of the stone fish could be seen.

"Those fish are land markers...to find a way through the mist!" Zim called through the loud haze.

"Where is it we're going?" Anya yelled back, following Zim out of the ship, supplies in hand. Any rebellion she still held towards Zim leader her was lost when she realized just how different this planet was from Arlia.

"We have to follow the fish until we reach the Seas of Red," Zim informed, squinting to see the stone creatures beyond the flying dirt and smog.

"Why didn't we just land at wherever it is we're going in the first place?" Anya asked skeptically.

"Land anywhere else and we would have gotten shot down," Zim said grimly.

That stunned her into silence for a while. Anya thought about whether a whole planet of people could really shoot down travelers before even learning who they are. Maybe other planets weren't as peaceful as Arlia was... It seemed to take forever to reach the stone figures, they were much farther away than she anticipated. Much time passed with only the howling wind, the dust that filled their vision, and the sight of stone fish about to leap out of the ground, but anchored to the earth by the tail fin.

"See that fish there?" Zim called out as they neared the closest stone to them. Anya nodded. The view of the fish was become clearer as they neared it. "It's one reason the rest of the Universe doesn't associate with the Meekrob." His statement sparked Anya's curiosity. She thought that logically, since the Meekrob were against Irkens that other planets were friendly with them.

Wind whistled through them, caking them with dirt as they neared the statue coming out of the ground that towered so far above them, larger than she dreamed it would be. They were closer now and there was less dirt blocking the view now. She peered closely at the statue and tried to make out the details. It wasn't completely gray like the dirt. Parts of it were muted colors. Colors she thought may have been brighter if the stormy winds hadn't eroded them so much. Reds and yellows like a sunrise were blotched around the base and trailed halfway up. Near the top where the fish's mouth opened, there were blue and green stains. It seemed like some sort of tribal paint from long ago. Which seemed fitting to Anya, given the abandoned atmosphere and blistering winds.

Spikes could be seen protruding from the statue, but the Arlian had no idea why. There were objects surrounding the spikes and colored blotches like barnacles, but they were the same color as the sand against the colors so she couldn't see what they were. "What is that?" Anya asked, pointing at the stone fish still a ways from them.

"You'll see," Zim sighed, just moving on. The small objects were becoming more and more clear as they came closer and the dirt in the air became thinner. The whistling was less now and it almost seemed calm. But the figures on the fish were definitely not a calm sight. Each stake was at least ten feet long and a foot thick. The stakes were grimy and grungy, like they'd once been soaked in something disgusting tens of years ago. But the stakes weren't even the worst part. The barnacle-like objects were all different. Many of them were long and thin, others were oddly shaped, round and had smallish holes in them. It took much staring for Anya to connect the shapes and stakes with what Zim had said.

"Oh!" Anya cried out miserably. Zim only nodded without looking at her or the stone. "They're...those are...Dear Arlia...they're bones..." Anya whispered. The wind was just barely blowing now that they were so close to the huge statue, they blocked the wind and provided some cover from the dirt that was still flying around.

"...You're not in peaceful little Arlia anymore, Dorothy," Zim muttered. Anya would have asked why she was called Dorothy, but she was still too horrified at the sight of scattered bones stuck to the stones. Age old blood coating the stakes and faded on the sandy stone from who knows how many alien species. She suddenly regretted being so eager to come here.

...

The dark blue planet loomed before him, holding so many possibilities. But before Dib could even get close to the atmosphere, a huge black ship blocked the planet from view. "Who.." It wasn't any ship he recognized. A huge light poured in from the black ship and covered Dib's ship completely. Suddenly they weren't in space anymore. Dib wasn't even in his ship anymore. He was standing in a huge, dark room filled with piping and computers. Lights flashed all over the screens and clanks and clangs echoed everywhere.

"...told you the Tardis would come in handy..." someone said from far away, their voice reverberating throughout the pipes. Tardis, wasn't that The Doctor's ship?

"Hello again," Said a more familiar voice, someone with bright blue hair.

"What do you want? Where am I? And why?" Dib asked all in one breath, angrily looking around the room.

"Just a chat or two, honestly," The blue haired man said, his face appearing on the screens. He sneered and looked at Dib as if he were some rat about to be tortured.

…

It seemed to take hours to surpass the last stone fish in view, though the actual time that passed eluded Anya as they walked. One thought that kept recurring, (Only due to their close proximity and the fact that he was the only object within her viewing range thanks to the high winds and sand blocking her view of anything else she was sure) was that Zim's butt was so tight and cute. Dib was so lucky to have that ass at his disposal. Not that she was attracted to green Irken-scum. Of course not. But as she let her mind wander to pass time, her thoughts always came back to this subject. Because it was just there. Right in her sight! It was impossible not to ponder it.

Anya once again let her eyes drift, scolding herself the whole time. But nevertheless…

And he turned around! Now her eyes snapped up to Zim's face as he yelled to her. They were almost there. She could just barely make out. She smiled in response, too embarrassed about her previous thoughts to attempt speaking, especially over such loud wind. Zim took it and kept going past the last stone fish. Anya concentrated hard on not looking at the gory sights as she had been doing since the first one. It was just too much.

After walking for a while after that, the barest mound was visible on the horizon, but only just. Zim pointed and looked back, Anya nodded. So they were headed to this mound? She wondered what it was. She also wondered if there was a shower there. There was sand crammed in places Anya didn't tried not to think about. She simply felt dirty all around, as dirt covered her every being. Anya wondered if Zim also felt the same way or if he was comfortable with all the dirt and grime. She wouldn't ask. It would be awkward…and life she cared anyway! What did it matter if the Irken liked dirt? He probably rolled in crap every night and bathed in filth. Dumb dirt loving Irken.

-Zim's thoughts at that moment-

For Dib. For Dib. For Dib For Dib ForDibForDib. Only for Dib. And Earth. And Miz. Only for Dib would Zim subject himself to such filth and disgust. The impulsive need to clean was so overwhelming. If only he had a hazmat suit. But then the outside of the suit would get dirty. Ew. But then he'd be so clean. Yes. Ech. Ew. Covered in so much…junk filled with…germs. He shuddered at such a notion and quickly thought of something else. Dib. For Dib. For Dib. For Dib. All for Dib.

And besides. They were almost there. Almost.

…

"What the hell do you want from me?" Dib asked, yelling loudly enough that his voice reverberated off the pipes on the walls and echoed down where he guessed a passageway was.

"I'm sure you've heard of the _prophecy_?" Kaito asked cruelly. "The Meekrob want to kill you themselves, but I think I'll be doing them a favor by killing you for them." A sharp and nearly insane laughter began to come from down the hallways, the voice didn't belong to Kaito. "And don't you worry about that lover of yours, I made sure he won't be coming to your rescue."

"Y-You're lying!" Dib yelled.

"Maybe I am, but maybe I'm not," Kaito teased, laughter edging his voice like a rugged blade.

Frustrated, Dib ran into the dark corridor, adrenaline pushing aside any fear or logic. Halfway down the corridor, there came a tick sound. Four beats and a pause. Four beats. Pause. Four beats. Pause. The further Dib got, the louder the sound became. Until it was a terribly loud banging sound that pushed the edges of Dib's sanity. The hall just kept going, passing by pipes and cords that stuck to the walls and ceiling like they were a part of them. Finally the pulsing four-beat stopped and so did Dib. He'd reached a door with so many symbols etched into its front that many of them overlapped each other, making much of the door indecipherable. The markings were all foreign to Dib, but he knew it probably wasn't good. Definitely not good.

Just as his hand was about to touch the door knob, a mad, jarring laughter erupted from everywhere. Dib's hand froze in mid-air and he didn't dare breath for the duration of the insane, desperate laughing, or for a few moment after either in the eerie silence that followed. Dib took a deep breath and opened the door.

...

After the agonizing few moments that it took Zim to remember the password and convince the doorman that he was who he was, which wasn't all that hard, considering how well known Zim was as the Irken dumbass, the two of them stumbled into the hut and all but fell to the floor panting.

"Yeah, those winds can be a bit harsh, huh?" A tall man in a pinstripped suit called out.

"A bit?" Zim and Anya both yelled, still catching their breath.

"Heh, heh. Yup," He said, "I guess you'll be wanting entrance to the city, then?" The man asked. He gestured to a porthole that slanted on the corner of the floor and the wall.

"Yes," Zim answered simply, such a small answer from him was unusual, and the tall man's expression revealed his curiosity at the small reply.

"Would you like the shower first? The Meekrob can't smell, but I'm sure it would be much more comfortable," The tall man asked.

"Ye-"

"No," Zim said, cutting Anya off. She glared at him and he glared right back.

"Unusual," The man remarked, "Does this mean you'll be causing chaos to the city?" He asked, a hopeful, sinister grin adorning his lean face.

"Yes," Zim said with an equally sinister look. The two men shared a look of evil intintions that made Anya shiver and wonder what these two had done in 'the city' before.

...

...

..

A/N Sorry for being so late again. School sucks. But I have a laptop now and the next chapter is already in the process of being completed and will probably be up...in a week or so. I can never predict these things. Please enjoy and the next chapter will be more awesome! Thanks for reading. I think probably the next chapter will be the last one, ever. :)

Please review! Or don't. It's all good.


	12. Nothing Lasts Forever

Chapter Twelve: Nothing Lasts Forever

One body can contain a lot of blood. Blood that can spill over onto other things. She just never knew there could be so much blood.

She should have gone skiing...She didn't know what it was and it wasn't on Arlia. But she could have sailed oceans...climbed things. It couldn't end this way. Why did she ever become a soldier? All soldiers ever do is kill and eventually die. But with no war on Arlia...She's had no idea what the term blood bath really meant. All she knew...was she didn't want to die...not like this.

Why was there so much blood...?

...

….

…

..

.

Dark substance was all over the floor along with several bodies, there wasn't enough light to count them. Still determined, Dib dared to take a few steps into the room. Something solid struck his foot. The head of a gypsy boy, Dib could swear he'd seen the boy before. His eyes seemed far away, even in death and a knowing grin still donned his lips It wouldn't have been as jarring a sight if there had been a body still attached.

"No! You'll never take me!" A female screamed. Dib squinted into the dark and was just able to make out the form of a young woman wearing a tattered dress and rags with large golden rings by the sides of her head. "Bastard. You'll never kill me. You'll never take my place." The door behind Dib slammed shut and the room became lighter. The woman was covered in blood, a recently used knife in her hand. Her eyes looked crazed, like she wasn't looking at Dib, but at someone else standing near him. But he was the only one around.

The gypsy girl came running at him and Dib realized he had no weapon handy. Hastily he picked up the dismembered head and threw it, running across the room to hopefully find something useful. The short distraction worked, somewhat, as the girl stumbled when she caught the head. Dib turned away to scan for weapons and didn't watch the girl for a few moments.

While he was turned the other way, the girl looked at the head with hatred and threw it angrily at the wall and growled at it then began to kick it. Most of the corpses that lay around did have weapons, but they were broken and unable to work anymore. Guns and parts and pieces, swords broken at the hilt, various weapons disassembled. None of it would work. It was no good!

"Grrrrr…Die scum!" The girl cried out, somehow behind Dib now, her knife raised up as she pounced. In those few moments, Dib grabbed the closest piece of metal he could and thrust it upward. The girl's falling momentum doing most of the work as the metal embedded deep into her forehead, piercing her skull. Blood ran down her face and, since she was above him, onto Dib's arm and torso. The shock on her face combined with the blood was an image that would be burned into his mind forever.

Slow clapping interrupted the strange silence. The gypsy girl was let onto the floor, the metal still lodged into her head. Finally through the shock that he'd lived, Dib could feel the sharp angry pain in his side. The crazy girl certainly didn't go down without a fight. Dib removed the knife quickly and kept it in his hand. Wounded, but with a weapon now.

The clapping had come from a certain figure at the now opened door. With a fluid movement, the door was closed again. "Thank you for removing that pest. But I'm afraid you will have to be terminated as well," Kaito said sadistically.

"Like hell," Dib said through clenched teeth. This man had killed Gaz…on Universal television. Had probably helped kidnap Miz as well. A passionate fire ignited in his chest and he suddenly had an extreme thirst for blood, or whatever that beast had.

"Tsk, tsk," Kaito took a few steps further into the room, ignoring the blood and corpses. Dib watched him as if he were a snake. "So resistant little one. Tell me, just how much do you know about your father's work?" Kaito asked, slowly circling the room. Dib began to circle as well, keeping his eyes on the snake.

"What are you talking about?" Dib spat. He knew Professor Membrane's work could be evil at times, particularly when it came to Zim.

"Your father was working on something monumental, Dib, something grand," Kaito stalled. Dib wondered what Kaito was really doing.

"Spit it out," Dib called, wanting, needing to ask questions, needing answers. But his father…this was out of the blue. Part of Dib was curious what his father was working on that could be considered 'monumental.'

"He was trying to find a way to bend reality; the ultimate tool to create a perfect universe; a way to repel the bad and create the good," Kaito paused in his movement, thus Dib paused also. "Professor Membrane was trying to create a god. And he did it, though his perfect universe is far from reality."

"And why are you telling me this?" Dib asked, only half venom now.

"Because, Dib," He grinned, "You are your father's son."

"What do you…"

"You, Dib," Kaito said in excitement. "You were the first experiment in the Zero Element Project!"

"That just sounds like bullshit," Dib said, gripping the knife in his hand harder than before.

"Really?" Kaito asked, he started to walk again, so did Dib. "They tried to give Gaz the gene, too. She did so well with it. I thought maybe she could do it all, but she only had half the power, she embraced evil, but not good. You got the other half. But we can't use good without the bad. So we gave a new gene to her…through a new life form that has both genes and the ultimate power."

"You're sick," Dib muttered.

"Yes, yes," Kaito waved off. "The son most likely will work. We'd never used you before because you weren't enough on your own." Dib remained calm the whole time. "Maybe if you'd realized your powers earlier on, you could have worked together and…dear Gazzy wouldn't be dead-"

"Shut up! Sick bastard!" Dib yelled, pointing the knife at him.

"But it's true," Kaito smiled, "it's your fault entirely."

"Liar! You killed her!" Dib yelled, beginning to break.

"But now she's gone. Too bad. I could feel the power in her blood as it passed through my fingers. So thick, like pig's blood-" and that was it. Dib broke. The world tilted and he felt himself running towards the bastard man, but stopped short and threw the knife as hard as he could without aiming and watched as it lodged into Kaito's forehead. A single line of dark blood trickled from his head. "Tsk tsk. Good throw for a human, but not enough to kill a Meekrob." Dib lost it then. He could feel the blood misted air and feel the essence of all the dead people there. So much death.

This man killed Gaz.

He was rushing forward again, faster than before and threw a punch as hard as he could at Kaito that landed in the center of his chest. The very fabric of the being before him began to unravel, undoing itself. "Ultimate…" Kaito managed before there was nothing left of him.

The room was suddenly filled with such sickening silence filled only with the sounds of Dib's panting.

Kaito the evil being had just been destroyed, right before his very eyes.

Maybe there was something to this Ultimate whatever. At least that's what Dib thought just before passing out.

…

The trip through underground tunnels was not a pleasant one. But one plus, Anya was once again behind Zim, thus able to see his…well, behind. She once again scolded herself, but couldn't help letting her eyes wander. Though there wasn't much to see, like last time. The tunnel was dark and small, making them crawl on hands and knees. If they weren't dirty before they certainly were now. The tunnel sloped downward and it was hard not to slip forward, and Anya put almost all of her concentration on not slipping. Too awkward, especially with the particular thoughts she'd been having lately pertaining the certain thing that was right in front of her face.

"You alright?" Zim asked randomly, "It's odd that you're not bitching right now."

"I-I'm just fine!" Anya practically yelled, "I'm just sick of all this filth!" That seemed like a reasonable excuse. Zim did something like a shrug and left her alone. Stupid male Irken, she though couldn't help but think, Why's he got to be so…..so…..ugh! A spider, or something like it, suddenly dropped in front of Anya face, she halted and screamed, shaking her hands through her hand and spazzing out.

"What? What's going on?" Zim asked urgently, sitting on his ass with gun in hand, looking every which direction.

"It was…It was.." Anya said out of breath.

"What? What was it! Did the Meekrob find us? I shouldn't have trusted that man again…" Zim looked at the walls angrily.

"It was a spider…" Anya whispered, running hands through her hair once more. Zim literally deadpanned. It was almost scary as Anya shrunk back.

"The hell…" Zim said slowly, looking from the wall to Anya and back again. After doing this for a while he carefully and deliberately put the gun away. "We're in a freakin' war zone and you flip out over a freakin' spider!" Zim yelled, probably louder than Anya did the first time.

"It…was scary looking…" Anya whispered to defend herself. Zim just stared at her incredulously. "Well it _was_!"

"Shhhh," Zim whispered, "Do you want wake up the whole planet?"

"I- Ugh!" Anya scoffed and looked away.

"_Ahem_," Something behind them said. Both looked behind them with blank, surprised faces. The head of a giant spider with dozens of beady eyes and pincers looked at them irritably.

"!" Both screamed and scrambled over each other trying to get through the tunnel way as fast as possible.

…

Eventually the tunnel started to go back up, weaving it's way through the dark dirt, making an unusual path that generally lead upward. Then they came to a place in the tunnel where a huge metal hatch was built into the ceiling of the tunnel. Beyond that, the tunnel continued but sloped downward again. "Okay," Zim whispered, turning to Anya. "Are you ready to see a glimpse of the city above?" Anya nodded and readied herself. Zim pushed aside the hatch door and revealed the city to her.

The city of Meekrob was towering, much like Arlia had been. Except that here, not all the platforms and buildings connected to the ground. Without the need of touching ground to travel, the Meekrob planet was one of disconnection and very little surfaces. Most residences and businesses alike were built on top of one another without connection together by walkway. Most all places above ground were impossible to get to without the ability to levitate or float.

But for the Irken and Arlian, that was okay, all the places they needed to access to could be found on the ground level. And the Crown Jewel would probably be stored underground. While Zim understood all of this beforehand, he neglected to mention any of this information to Anya, who was awestruck at the sight before her. It was more than she imagined from another planet, despite all that she learned in the desert.

"So," Zim murmured, "We need to stay underground. In the crust surface level."

"W-Why?" Anya whispered. Zim shut the hatch door without bothering to explain anything, but Anya still remained there, staring at it in hopes of it opening again. Zim sighed at this and took hold of Anya's arm, dragging her down the tunnel.

"Do I need to explain everything?" Zim asked, not expecting an answer. "Some Meekrob live on the surface, so we can't go there. We'll get caught. A _lot_ of Meekrob live above that. We can't go there. _Yet_. So where else but the crust surface level? It's where all the sewers and nasty things are that Meekrob don't want to mess with. It's also where escaped prisoners go into hiding, but the Meekrob officials don't know that. So don't tell them."

"How…how do you know all this?" Anya asked and then added, "And why?"

"Cause I'm awesome," Zim boasted in his usual manner as he flashed a quick, devious grin at his current partner in crime.

But that grin and cocky arrogance soon fell away as Zim was reminded that it wasn't Dib who was with him right now. No, Dib was somewhere much safer. It was the neutral Arlian. The strange angry girl who seemed satisfied with nothing Zim did. In short: Zim didn't like her. Nor she him. With a sullen indifference, Zim let go of the girl and kept forging ahead, thinking only of the mission…and his one distraction from any mission.

As they got deeper, the tunnel became wider, allowing them to stand and walk normally. The dark and old passages didn't phase Zim one bit, he knew these tunnels already. But once in a while, Anya would cling to his back as something made a noise in the distance or if the passage got too dark to see. He could only think of Dib and how they would be fighting over who got to lead the way right then.

"Halt who goes there!" Someone in the distance called out. Anya yipped and clung desperately to Zim arm, he tried not to be embarrassed of her.

"It's me, fatass, you know that," Zim yelled, knowing exactly who was going to come waddling over to them. From the dark creeped a small, squat, very wide Vortian. His horns were curled into themselves and extremely dirty, he carried a large flashlight, though he wasn't using it, and was currently giving Zim the stink eye.

"What the _hell_ are _you_ doing here?" The little guy asked, pointing his flashlight towards them, causing Anya to squeak unnecessarily.

"None of your business," Zim sneered, he hated this little Vortian. He hated most all Vortians, but this one was especially irritating.

"Well, you're on our turf, so I think it is my business," The Vortian retaliated. For several seconds they simply glared at each other until Zim stuck one leg out and pushed the Vortian over on his butt. "H-Hey!" The alien cried out, rolling around momentarily. "That's not fair!"

"So?" Zim asked, watching the Vortian roll, unable to get back up. Zim put one hand on Anya's and strode past this sad sight. Up ahead there were several turnoffs grouped together.

"How do we know which one to go through?" Anya asked, gazing at all the paths. Zim put on his thinking face, hand on chin and made deep thinking noises.

"They added new tunnels….So…I dunno. Let's try one," Zim said, leading Anya off to one on the left.

"Wait! What if it's a trap!" Anya squeaked, freaked out.

"I guess we'll find out, huh," Zim said, not breaking stride. He knew this was the right way, but he wasn't going to tell Anya. It was too fun to mess with her.

…

_Dib…._

"Hm..?" Light and dark played in his vision, crossing and refracting…forever tangled.

_Dib…._

"…Wha…"

_You have to get up…You have to continue…_

The image of Gaz leaning over him appeared through a haze. She smiled and tilted her head, looking so relieved and happy like she'd never been before. "What…what's going on…?"

_You have to save him…he's the soul hope for our world…_

Light splayed before him, blurring her image when she spoke. Darkness ate at the edges of her being.

_I'll lend you my powers…please...Just get up, Dib…._

A silken hand reached towards him, and Dib stretched for it, the fabric of reality bending and pulling at them.

_Hurry Dib…_

Her voice faded into the darkness as the light receded. His hand just brushed hers before she simply evaporated. He was left sitting in the dark, her final words echoing in his mind, he thought about what she meant. His hand was still in the air, reaching for what wasn't there. In a snap he was standing and making his way through the ship.

…

INTERMISSION

Spider's point of view:

"All I wanted…was to have some friends…" The spider watched the figures running in the distance and with a sigh, returned to his earthen home.

…

The smaller ship was found in a hanger in the huge ship Dib had been transported to. The whole ship had become dark and inactive with its leaders death, as if was Kaito's very essence that kept the broken ship going. The only vessel in the hanger was Dib's. Seems Kaito wasn't very popular. Approaching the ship, feeling stronger than before, a chill filled the air.

Though the atmosphere was grim, Dib was stronger now, he wouldn't let anything go wrong now. It was to Meekrob now. With that thought, he opened the door to the small cruiser. And out came a hell storm; knives thrown and fire flaring around. But he dodged it all and jumped back, crouching and preparing himself for anything. When the smoke cleared he saw himself…no, not himself. The Clone. And he didn't look too happy about being locked in a storage closet.

"It's time for me to take my rightful place…" The clone said, grimacing at Dib.

"Oh good, I'll find a dumpster for you," Dib said with a serious tone, glaring daggers at this obstacle standing in his way.

"You'll pay for that…" The clone hissed. The something seemed to flash through his eyes and a half-grin crawled up his face. "You can't save him, you know."

A fire lit up in Dib and he growled, launching up and into the ship, crashing his fist into the clone's face, successfully knocking him into the ground. The clone leapt up and did the same, but Dib's hand caught the punch before it could strike. The clone's face contorted in anger. In a roar, he pulled one more dagger from behind him and swung it out towards Dib. Taken by surprise, Dib wasn't able to stop it before it embedded into his upper arm. He pushed the clone away and removed the dagger, but didn't throw it down.

Standing above the weaker life form while brandishing a blade made him feel powerful. Terribly so. But it was too much, this was wrong and he knew it. He was supposed to be the good guy, the one who saves people's lives. True…this was a mere clone, not even a real person. But was that much even true, was this person before him worthy of life? Did he have a human consciousness worthy of being spared from death? All these thoughts flashed in a few seconds while the clone began to get up again to resume the fight.

He never finished standing though, for the blade sunk deep within his gut, the force of which knocking out his breath and stunning him. Dib watched the clone fall back down, bleeding out all over the place. "Computer," Dib called out, "Clean up this mess." And with that he returned to the cockpit to plot out the course to Meekrob, not giving so much as a backward glance at the fallen clone.

…

They hid under a counter in the dark computer room as they heard the slow clicking of heels down the previously empty hallway. So maybe the abandoned Meekrob building wasn't so abandoned after all. The air was stagnant; the only interruption being sharp clicks that swam through the silence, sending vibrations throughout the air and bouncing off all the surfaces. The only thing more horrifying than the sounds was the silence that followed as the click stopped abruptly nearby.

There was a pregnant moment where no one dared to breath…and then that devil sound continued on its way to leave them in their dark silence alone. Anya breathed out in relief. "I thought this was a safe building," She whispered.

"It was, but nothing's ever absolute," Zim told her. She watched with distain as Zim got up and walked away. Why'd he have to be so depressing all the time? He'd be a better leader if he'd cheer up once in a while.

"So…Miz is somewhere in this neighborhood?" Anya asked, catching up.

"I think so," Zim replied, looking down the hall. It was all clear. They kept on going down the hall, weapons loaded and ready. Eventually, after much sneaking and snooping, they exited the building. Again, Anya gazed at the tall, underground buildings. Most were abandoned and the tops of them were obscured by darkness…but it was still amazing. "Hurry up," Zim called behind him. Anya skipped back up to him.

They walked cautiously, every small noise seemed to echo in the cavernous space. Finally they reached a huge round building with blown out windows. Zim led them in, stepping around old furniture and random crap spread around the room. They went from room to room and up a spiral staircase that just kept going and going up. "No one knows about this place anymore," Zim told her, "Everyone forgot about it. It leads to the surface…to one of the capitol buildings."

"And that's where Miz is?"

"I think so," Zim said, not looking too sure of that.

"What if he's not there?"

"We're dead." Anya stopped asking questions after that. The staircase spiraled on towards the heavens and made the trip dizzying. They kept on for what seemed like thirty minutes at the least until it stopped. There was no platform or landing, only a single wooden panel on the ceiling. Zim pushed it up slightly and looked every which way before shoving it open all the way. He climbed all the way into the next room and waited for Anya. The room was small and dark, a large wooden door on one wall, the rest a cold gray stone. Zim readied his gun and looked back at Anya. "Ready?"

…

Meekrob was so close, he was about to begin landing when he noticed an incoming call from planet Irk. "Computer, why the hell and who the hell has the nerve to call me?" Dib asked irritably.

"Tallest Kita, leader of Irk," The computer answered simply.

"Kita..?" Dib echoed. When had a new Tallest been appointed? "Let her through." The image of a tall Irken with purple eyes appeared on the vid-screen to his left. She had mechanics attached to various parts of her body, which was somewhat disturbing. "What do you want?"

"Human Dib of Earth," Kita said softly, "How would you like to be made an honorary Invader for Irk to aid in the efforts to end all war across the universe beginning with the Meekrob."

"What do you mean…Irk would never willingly team up with Earth," Dib said, not understanding her.

"Things have changed…Irk has changed. There are new people in charge and peace is priority number one," Kita said, still awaiting Dib's answer. "Will you join us?"

"…Only if Zim is made an Invader, too," Dib said, eyeing her warily.

"Invader Zim has already been reinstated as an official invader," Kita informed. That was surprising; Zim was often despised and hated on Irk. Maybe things _were_ changing…

"Fine…I'm about to do my first mission, then. I'm about to invade Meekrob," Dib told her, his new leader.

"Good. I have troops heading there this very minute…they should be there about now," Kita said, "I have news from Arlia that Zim is already deep within Meekrob, go help him. Don't let Zim die." Without waiting for a response, Kita cut the transmission.

"Wasn't planning on it," He mumbled. Out of curiosity Dib flipped on all the scanners and saw a few Irken ships coming in from behind. Good thing Kita called or else he'd be going in alone. Now he had backup.

…

Several minutes went by, the silence wasn't comforting. And then she heard the signal to come out. She pushed the heavy wooden door open and carefully made her way through the room. It was all clear, and Anya wondered where he'd gone. Then she saw the blood in the next room, that was it. She entered timidly, taking note of all the bodies…the blood. They definitely didn't have this on Arlia. The blood was all different colors. There was a small bit of movement at the back of the room, and then a flurry of movement as Zim walked past her.

She turned and watched him walk away. There was something in his arms and his gun was gone. She followed him through the first room and to another all white room. There were panels and circuitry everywhere. Zim pushed a button and a panel opened up to reveal a long bench and a few screens inside. He pushed a small bundle into Anya's arms and guided her towards the pod.

"Get him home," Zim whispered, closing the hatch behind her. She heard a rush of air and she was gone…headed back home without Zim and with a bundle in her arms. She looked down and saw a little baby looking up at her.

"Let's go home, kid."

…

It was mayhem when the invading ships touched down. There were shots fired everywhere, people running all over. The planet was huge; it would be hell to find Zim in all this chaos. Running through the madness of two races clashing, Dib made his way to the nearest building. Though there was constant violence, most of them left Dib alone, he wasn't Irken or Meekrob, so no one was quite sure where he stood. It was easy to slip through the doorways to different buildings.

At the sound of several Meekrob arguing loudly, Dib stopped and listened for a moment. "No one from Unit Five is responding! Where the hell are they?" "Unit five was with the child prince!" "The entire building seems to be taken out." "Did they leave in escape pods?" "Only one pod was sent out!" That would be Zim, Dib smirked and waited until the Meekrob unknowingly told him exactly where to go. Then he took off down the street.

Maybe his new mysterious power would come in handy, he still didn't know how it worked. If only he knew how to trigger it. Despite this, he successfully evaded troops from both sides and made it to the section of buildings where Zim supposedly had been. It suddenly occurred to Dib that his prey might not even be there anymore. He'd just have to hope and look for him.

The first building he reached was dark and seemed to be abandoned, it was in the center of the Meekrob city. Inside there were a few lights still flickering, illuminating the trash and blood spread around everywhere. Dib felt a minute feeling of fear that he wouldn't find Zim, that he would be somewhere in the dark…already gone. But he remembered that Zim wouldn't go down like that. He'd have way more dignity than that.

A sudden noise from another room caused Dib to jump. A tin can rolled into view, light green and red splatters on it. A pounding started in Dib's heart as he ran around the corner to see where the green blood had come from. "Oh…there you are…" A raspy voice called out from the corner of the room. Dib headed toward it warily, trying to see in the dark. Finally, he could make out a dark greenish shape leaning on something…he seemed to be holding his side. Dib rushed over, holding Zim up. "Wondered when you'd get here…" Zim whispered.

"It's okay, it's okay, we'll get out of here now," Dib whispered, looking towards the doorways.

"No…" Zim said, laying a gloved hand on Dib's shoulder, "Game over."

"No, it's not over, the game's not over," Dib said quickly, panic coating his voice.

"We're surrounded…followed you here," Zim told him, motioning to the surveillance camera's next to them. Dib glanced all around the screens, looking for a way, because there had to be a way. It wasn't over, it could never be over. "Miz is safe now…but not for long," Zim said, leaning closer to Dib. He felt a sting and looked down at all the blood covering Zim's side.

Tears started to bud. "No…" He whispered in pain.

"It's okay, Dib," Zim told him, a serene smile on his face.

"But…But…you just…you're an invader now," Dib told him, hoping that one fact would change Zim's mind, his attitude about the situation. Maybe being an invader would change the entire situation. "Kita's the Tallest now, and she made both of us Invaders!"

All Zim did was raise a hand to stroke Dib's cheek. "That's nice…"

"Eh…that…That's all you have to say?" Dib asked, frustration and hopelessness boiling into anger. "You finally have what you've always wanted and all you have to say is 'that's nice'? You're an Irken Invader and by hell we'll get out of here! We'll live through this!" Dib yelled. But Zim was unaffected, he kept a hand at Dib's face and simply stared in his eyes.

"Because it's over…I can end this all now," Zim said, excitement leaking into his voice. His eyes darted to the control panel. Dib's eyes followed, and now the tears couldn't help but flow. He buried his head into Zim's shoulder and shuddered there. "We can finally make it all stop. We'll be real heroes, not just invaders." Dib nodded weakly.

"It's really over…" Dib whispered.

"Yeah. It is," Zim agreed, holding onto Dib as best he could. "Let's end this…" Dib nodded and straightened himself up. Zim reached over and placed his bloody palm on the button. Dib's went over, holding Zim's hand, the blood stinging pleasantly.

"Hey…" Dib whispered, looking at Zim, "…I love you…"

Zim gave a weak smile, "I love you, too…" And together they pressed down on the button that would cause the entire planet of Meekrob to implode upon itself.

…

Everyone at Irk stared at the oversized screens. Kita watched with pride mixed with horror. The war was over…but she'd lost the Irken she had just regained. All around her the Irkens, both short and tall, cheered and threw snacks around. This was the best victory they'd ever had. Zim must have known that. She gazed up at the debris and earthen chunks floating through space. She'd have to dedicate a food court or something like that to Zim.

…

On the surface of Arlia, Anya stepped out of the small escape pod and met with her fellow Arlians. They all chattered about something blowing up, and they'd had a victory of some kind. She didn't listen, she just searched for someone to hand off Miz to, but no one would take him. So she went to the building of her elders. Her elders all looked at her with pride and honor. Miz was still asleep in her arms, so they spoke quietly.

"Daughter of Arlia, one of the greatest victories of our people has occurred, and you are one to thank. Especially in the return of the young Prince of the Stars," Her elders told her. She bowed, though didn't know what victory they spoke of. "With Meekrob destroyed and Irk turned peaceful, we'll have no problems bringing peace to the Universe."

"What…what do you mean Meekrob was destroyed, did Zim get off the planet?" Anya asked, she had no idea why she cared, really. But still…it frightened her, the thought of Zim being trapped there.

"The soldiers Zim and Dib did not make it off the planet, in fact, they're the reason it was destroyed. They are two most noble soldiers for saving the universe from the might of the Meekrob." Anya lost her breath and couldn't breathe for a moment. She held Miz tighter and simply listened without thinking. "Dearest Princess of Arlia, will you care for Prince Miz until such a time when he old enough to rule the stars?" Anya finally got her breath back and simply nodded. This child…was all she had to remember those two so…of course she would care for him. She looked down at the sleeping boy in her arms. So innocent and sweet. How could anyone abandon him? "Good, new accommodations will be drawn up, and you will cease to fight, finally taking your role as the Princess of Arlia." Anya nodded, not taking her eyes from the bundle of life in her arms.

After being dismissed, Anya entered the elevator and kept herself together as long as she could. But that wasn't long. She gasped for air and sunk to the floor, her shoulders heaving as the tears swam down her face. That bastard! He could have left with her and he would have been fine! He didn't have to sacrifice himself like that! The sobs woke Miz up, but he didn't cry out. The sweet little thing stared up at Anya in confusion. His eyes reflected the same dark purple as his hair, his cute little face just stared. He reached up a tiny hand toward Anya, and she thought he would touch her face. Instead, little hands yanked hair on her hair. A small giggle erupted from her, he was so cute. Little Miz laughed, pulling more on her hair. She laughed again, how could anyone be sad around him?

…

…

..

..

A/N

Admit it, it was always going to end this way.


End file.
